A Darker Path
by IWLTxo
Summary: Sirius remained secret keeper, and has saved them; Lily and James. But it doesn't end there. After being marked as the Dark Lord's enemy, he creates a horcrux. It starts out as simply being a way to make sure he defeats Voldemort, but then it turns into so much more. Sequel to His Two Paths.
1. Dreams and Reality

**A/N:**Thanks to the amazing life1428 I've managed to sort this update favourite, follow and review. Now, enjoy the sequel to His Two Paths.

**P.S.** If you're a new reader, I suggest reading His Two Paths before this otherwise you won't understand anything. Cheers!

* * *

_xoxo_

_1. Dreams and Reality_

Sirius couldn't decide how he felt. Did he feel different? It had been a few weeks since he made the horcrux and already he felt like there was a cloud over his head. His eyes were darker than their usual grey, his voice gruff and curt. He felt darker, colder and he was scared. He'd never been so scared. Sirius could barely recognise himself when he looked in the mirror, he looked in the mirror a lot now. Willing the man he once saw staring back at him to appear. _What had he done?_

His eyes met Dumbledore's again and he blushed, looking away quickly. Sirius didn't think he would ever be able to look the man in the eye again. A _horcrux..._

The very instrument that killed Regulus. The very thing that his brother died to destroy, Sirius went and created one of the same. How was that anything like avenging Regulus? Wasn't that the total opposite of avenging his dear brother?

The Order meeting he was currently sitting in took up the largest room of the underground base. It was packed with new initiates who were once old Aurors; they had finally realised just how crooked the whole Auror segment of the Ministry was. Good on them. There were also a few seventh years who had given up on education all together and fled, seeking refuge with those they knew could protect them. The fearless seventh years wanted to join the war.

Sirius was snapped out of his reverie when he heard James tell him to listen. It happened a lot to him now. He couldn't keep his attention on one thing.

'... now Crouch is dead—' Dumbledore said in his loud, ringing voice.

Yes, Crouch was dead, and so of course rumours were spread about him. But whereas the ones spread about Sirius's death were nasty and complete lies, most of Crouch's rumours were probably true. In the last few years of the man's career, he had become everything he was fighting against. Only he was worse.

The man couldn't tell the difference between a scared teenager and a Death Eater in the making. He had always been gruff with Sirius, if not a little cold and hard. But what did Sirius expect? His surname was enough of an indication as to _why _he was treated so ruthlessly by people like Crouch. The Blacks where known for their prejudiced and pureblood supremacist ways but they themselves were judged without people ever getting to know them.

Even Moody, now a role model and good friend of Sirius's, had treated him a little coldly when they first met. Sirius was trying to become an Auror as quick as he could and Moody had heard enough about Blacks, one pretty Black in particular ... the older man had watched the boy closely for a few weeks before he realised that really, Sirius was a harmless Black. Or rather, he was harmless to people he _liked._ To the people on _his _side. To anyone else the infamous Black insanity came out and he was ruthless.

Anyway, Dumbledore was going on about how Crouch's death was a good thing, no matter how tragic it was that their old friend had died. He hadn't been killed by Lord Voldemort's side, but instead he _killed_ himself which was why there were vicious rumours spreading through the tabloids and on the WWN. Voldemort was furious that he had lost the man who could have been useful.

'... could have used Crouch as an asset, he's a brilliant Auror, a quick thinker, he has a strong mind ... Voldemort would have tried to use these things to his own advantage. Also, I'm unsure as to what ...'

Dumbledore could drone on for a while. But everything he said was important. Everything he said made sense and captured the attention of each and every person in the room. 'We need to kill Voldemort if we're to return the Wizarding World of Britain to normal again. We cannot do this with him still here.'

His piercing blue eyes clashed with Sirius's. They shared a deep and dark look with more than a million thoughts behind it; Sirius ran a hand over his bare stomach, swallowing nervously. It was so hot in the room. Dumbledore spoke to him often about whether Sirius felt any different, if he needed any magical assistance. But he knew what the Headmaster was really asking; _are you turning dark? _ 'Sirius is going to try and do that for us.' Dumbledore said, snapping him once again out of his thoughts.

The handsome man almost groaned. All eyes turned to him. James was sitting beside him, holding baby Harry. On the other side of Sirius sat Rose, with SJ in her arms. He was making quiet fussed noises. Sirius looked down and pressed a quick kiss to his son's nose before looking up at everyone again.

'Maybe this time I might do it right.' He said with a big but fake smile on his face. Only the Marauders could tell it was fake. Sirius was a good actor when he wanted to be one.

Dumbledore smiled blandly. 'Yes, maybe you will. But we mustn't set everything on Sirius. We need to take down—'

'All of Voldemort's wingmen. Bellatrix, Lucius Malfoy, the likes ...' Moody interjected. 'We need to weaken him as much as we can.'

'I ... I want to do it, I agree with you Moody. We need to get rid of the things he values most; his head Death Eaters, his claim to immortality; we need to succeed in getting him as weak as possible if I'm to even try and defeat him but ...'

'Pads,' James said from beside him, questioningly.

'But it's going to be hard, Voldemort's fall is going to require every single one of us, working together ...' Suddenly, a very peculiar memory sprung into his mind.

A memory that kept revisiting him.

_xo_

It was third year. Spring was ending in Hogwarts; girls were parading around in short skirts, boys with their sleeves rolled up and their shirts unbuttoned to reveal their collarbones. In Sirius's case, he abandoned his shirt all together. But he liked the attention; the girls stared at him lustfully and boys glowered at him enviously. His skin was still deep gold from the Easter holiday he took with his family to the Black Chateau in the South of France. His locks were longer, brushing the skin where his neck met his shoulders. His muscles from Quidditch were prominent. He was rather gorgeous.

But it was night time now, the air was a little chilly but the windows were open regardless, sending a very pleasant draft into the dormitory. Moonlight shone into the room, the waning gibbous sweeping relief through the young men; their friend wouldn't have to transform for another few weeks.

Remus's soft breathing filled the room, as did Peter's tossing and turning but Sirius couldn't hear anything from James's bed. Which meant his friend couldn't sleep like him. He decided to do something he hadn't done for quite a while. He threw the covers off of his body and padded over to James's bed, ripping open the curtains.

'Jamie,' Sirius whispered, and he was greeted with stunning hazel eyes. 'Budge over,' he said. James moved over and Sirius slipped into the warm bed. They weren't as small as they had been back in first and second year but their knees didn't bump awkwardly together. It was almost like they were the perfect size.

'Your feet are freezing,' James commented, shying away from Sirius's bare legs.

The handsome teenager grinned. 'Sorry about that. Next time I'll wear socks.' He said, resting his head on James's pillow. Even though these were school pillows, James's one still managed to have the Potter Manor smell Sirius had come to love. It was a comforting, warm smell that reminded him of what a home should be like. What a home should _smell _like.

Their torsos were bare and their faces were inches from each other's, but they didn't feel awkward or uncomfortable. They were like brothers. They stared into each other's eyes. It was a curious, almost angry stare. Or at least on Sirius's part. He had another brother to think about...

'D'you really think ... d'you think that he deserves your apology?' James asked, running a hand through his incorrigible black hair. He covered his mouth when he yawned and shivered, for a moment envying his friend; he was so cold and Sirius, save his feet, seemed to radiate heat.

'I don't know.' Sirius answered truthfully. 'I ... I still love him, you know?'

James decided to change the subject whilst Sirius thought about what he should do. 'Did you see Evans and Taten today? They were at it again in DADA. Well, Taten was being the aggressive bint she usually is but I was surprised by Evans. She's _feisty _she is.'

Sirius stretched in the four poster bed, following James and yawning; damning them and their infectious-ness. 'I think I fancy Emanuelle.' He breathed in response. 'She's so gorgeous...'

'Yeah well she likes Moony. You know she despises you ...'

Sirius shook his head, sighing. 'Even Taten told me. She despises my personality, not the way I look. In fact I caught her ogling me today outside near the lake, for at least half an hour. They were all ogling me, now I come to think about it...'

'Oh,' James replied before laughing quietly, 'because there's so much of a difference. Anyone with eyes would like the sight of you ... even Snivellus. Doesn't mean he don't despise you. And it doesn't mean you aren't the world's greatest prick.' Apparently, mentioning Snape ticked Sirius off, because he didn't respond with something witty.

The long nosed bastard reminded Sirius too much of Regulus. He was also part of the problem. James 'aah'ed and Sirius felt his body sag. Ignoring James, Sirius ripped the duvet from his friend and wrapped it firmly around his body. Maybe it would keep the cold from getting in.

Too late.

Sirius's muscles froze with dread. He shivered and felt James's arm wrap around him. Dismissing the fact that they did indeed have a slightly homoerotic relationship, Sirius hugged his friend back. He started laughing. 'If only my girlfriend could see us ...' he said. 'She'd beat you up James, accuse you of turning her boyfriend into a shirt lifter.'

'She's scary, she is.' He replied in a hushed voice. Serena Yaxley was gorgeous but she was not someone to mess with.

'Jimmy ... what do I do?' Sirius said after a long moment, silence filled only with the sound of their breathing, Remus's tender sighs and Peter's tossing and turning.

'Shall I tell you the honest truth? What _I _would do?' James questioned him, turning to face the roof of his bed after he released Sirius. They both looked up at the moonlight shining on the roof, coming from the gap between the curtains. The moon calmed them surprisingly. It reminded them of Remus and he was such a calming influence.

Sirius nodded and James sighed. 'I'd talk to him. I'd tell him doing stuff like that to Muggleborns, regardless of whether Avery and Snivellus and all those other bastards egged him on, is unacceptable. I'd make sure he remembers that he can _never _talk to Muggleborns like that or ... or curse them like he did.'

Sirius closed his eyes. He felt like a failure. How could he have done this to his brother? He let Regulus down. He let _himself _down. 'What if he gets mad at me?'

'Since when is Sirius afraid of anything?' James asked incredulously, turning around to face Sirius. 'You're fearless you are. Your brother ... he needs this. He needs to know that whether the other Slytherins do it, he can't. Not for as long as you're brothers.'

Sirius frowned before cracking a smile, a true smile, or at least it seemed true to James. He could never tell when his friend was acting, he was a good actor. 'Emanuelle's got such a nice body. She's barely fourteen and already her tits are ... wow ...' Sirius laughed.

James tried hard not to let his body slump. As always, whenever things became too much for the great Sirius Black, he withdrew into the cocoon he wrapped himself in. This time, he was accomplishing it by changing the subject. Well, he thought, if Sirius didn't want to talk about it anymore than James would latch onto the subject offered. 'Still think Evans has got a nicer rack than her. It's a bit more ... I don't know, _full?_ Is that the right word?'

Sirius whistled low under his breath. 'Evans would be alright if she didn't always turn as red as her hair. It puts me off. I bet you wouldn't even be able to kiss her without her turning bright pink.'

James gnawed on his lip. Okay, so he was developing a small crush on Evans. Didn't matter though, did it? She was a prude. He'd get over it soon. 'That's true. Yaxley however ...'

'Oi, don't talk about my bird.' Sirius joked, jabbing James in the stomach where he was ridiculously ticklish. 'She's amazing but ... but I want to get _away _from everything that surrounds my family. How can I when I'm with her?'

'I know.' James told him, patting his friend's hand in a comforting manner.

'How can I get away from my family when the person I care about most out of _everyone_, especially everyone in my family, is doing bad things and is saying bad things to "Mudbloods"? That word makes me sick.' Sirius's radiant smile slipped off his face. He started clenching his fists and baring his teeth.

James didn't like Regulus, in fact, he _despised _the handsome thirteen year old. Because Sirius would always hold Regulus higher than James, would always consider Reg to be more of a brother than him. 'You need to talk to him. You need to _defeat _him. Not physically but emotionally, well physically too if he doesn't get it through his head. You need ... Sirius you need to make sure he knows what he can and can't do, because he can't go 'round treating little kids like that. Does that make sense?' When Sirius shook his head James leapt into an explanation.

'He doesn't respect you like he used to. Because of your parents ... because he's in Slytherin and he's friends with some of your _worst _enemies. All I mean is that you need to get his respect again. I don't know ... humiliate him like he humiliated you? Yeah. Show him you're not going to let him do shit like that to harmless kids.'

Regulus with the help of a few other older Slytherins, had cursed and teased a few first year Muggleborns. Sirius had stood up for them and for the first time in Hogwarts history, the two Blacks were at it with one another, like two wolves, fighting for dominance (Moony's simile, not Sirius's). Sirius threw threats and Regulus tossed back insults. It was painful to even listen.

'He did humiliate me, didn't he?' Sirius mused aloud, pondering on the events of earlier today. Regulus had been particularly spiteful with his words. Many people watched and listened curiously, many laughed whereas others frowned during the whole affair. It was horrid. Until James split it up, but not before throwing a new horrid words back to Regulus. They _hated _each other. Wands would have been drawn if the Head Boy hadn't come over.

James really didn't like the boy. 'He did. You gotta somehow ... somehow get it through his head. He can't talk to you like that. He can't do the stuff he was doing. Those poor first years ...' James said quietly, ignoring the sound of a dazed Peter getting up to take a leak.

'If I ever see him do it again, I'll ... you know ...'

James nodded. 'Beat him up? Wow, we sound like gang members. But you do know it's the only way, right?' He asked.

Sirius ran a hand over his face. 'I don't want to hurt him ... I ... – I don't think I'll be able to do it. I know I have to but ... but how does that set me apart from all the people I hate?'

'What d'you mean Sirius? James asked.

'If I ... If I _hurt _him so he believes what I believe than I'm no different than all those dark wizards killing people for disagreeing with them. I'm no different than my parents.'

And for that, James had no answer. 'Just talk to him Sirius.' He said, yawning for the millionth time. He was tired now. After the series of unfortunate events that played out today, he realised he didn't have any energy. He wanted to sleep.

'We'll see.' Sirius replied. 'Can I stay here for a bit? Your bed is so much comfier.'

James laughed. 'Shirt lifter.' He hissed with a fond smile on his face. 'Okay, okay. But no spooning and don't be here I wake up. I know how you get ... aroused in the morning and I'm really not in the mood to be touched up whilst I'm sleeping.' They laughed together. After arranging the duvet around both of them, James yawned again and turned over so his back was facing his friend, putting a lot of space between them.

'Thanks bro.' Sirius said in a quiet, almost shy voice. He would never know how much the casual use of the word "bro" thrilled James. But he knew how much it made him happy. Sirius decided he wanted four brothers, not one. And maybe ... just maybe he would always have four brothers, not the three he knew he'd be left with if he did indeed ever raise a hand to Regulus.

_xo_

* * *

Sirius woke up, throwing the covers off of himself. He looked around, running a hand through his hair and yawning. It had seemed so real. For a moment he really thought he was fourteen again, sleeping in James's four-poster after a particularly nasty argument with Regulus.

But Sirius wasn't fourteen, he was twenty two. And he wasn't in the Marauders' Hogwarts dormitory; instead he was in Wales in an underground base with a bunch of Aurors and the whole Order. It was however, like in the dream, the middle of summer and he was swelteringly hot.

Sirius looked down at his girlfriend sleeping on the bed with him. Could he even call her a girlfriend? What they had was so delicate and so tender, sliced open with the wounds of past mistakes and problems. Rose had been pregnant when Sirius became the Potters secret keeper. She gave birth on the twenty fourth of November, almost a month after Sirius became secret keeper. That day was in fact the same day Sirius had been caught by over a dozen Death Eaters.

Sirius shivered when he wondered what would have happened if he wasn't visited from a future version of himself. It had happened a few days before the Potters were going to cast the Fidelius Charm. Sirius was going to suggest Peter. On a trip to Diagon Alley, he was approached by an older, sadder Sirius. A version from only a week and a half in the future.

The future Sirius had warned him not to suggest using Peter. Instead, he suggested being the secret keeper himself. And so history and its course had changed. Sirius became secret keeper and vowed for as long as he lived to protect the Potters, to protect his brother and his godson and the woman who had become a sister to him. The family he had always longed for.

Being kept in the Malfoy Manor attic for months, Sirius slowly started to turn mad. He had felt it. Bubbling in his bones. He started to have hallucinations. Many of the Dark Lord's Death Eaters did things to Sirius, such cruel evil things it hurt for him to even think of it.

Then Bellatrix and Lord Voldemort did something so unimaginably evil, Sirius winced just thinking about it – they gave him a mark, the Dark Mark. But it was a special Dark Mark. In order to successfully build a connection with your mind and your mark, you needed to accept the tattoo carved into your skin. But Sirius hadn't accepted it. Instead, he willed it away.

Thus, Sirius created a different sort of connection. One the Dark Lord was not familiar with. Sirius's mark wasn't black. It was _white. _And it allowed him to see into Voldemort's mind, just like Voldemort could see into his.

After being broken out by James, Remus and surprisingly, Peter, Sirius was taken to Godric's Hollow, where the Fidelius was still in tact. It was there that he saw his son, a few months old, for the first time. His son was called _Sirius James_; Rose said the boy was named after the only men she had ever fallen in love with.

Sirius remembered the feeling of being lost, confused and pained. He hadn't seen Rose for a year, then when he came to Godric's Hollow to see his ex-girlfriend (she had broken up with him when she was a few weeks pregnant and had then disappeared to Australia for eight months) she had a baby. A baby who looked _exactly like him._

Sirius still marvelled at how his son looked so much like him and nothing like his Mother save the lips; save those scarlet, full lips. Then the inevitable happened, they read the letters Dumbledore had left them (the old Headmaster had been captured and imprisoned by Voldemort) telling them they had a job to do. Inside the letter was a vial, a vial containing the memories of a certain house elf.

Sirius had watched the memories, and with the memories came the truth; Regulus had not died at the hands of a Death Eater, but instead he died to bring down Lord Voldemort. And he had only been _nineteen._ If Sirius had to name his biggest regret, it would be leaving his brother, abandoning him for the Marauders. Sirius regretted never getting to appreciate the brave, strong man Regulus turned into.

The memories also told Sirius about a task he needed to do if he ever wished to defeat Voldemort; he needed to destroy the man's _horcruxes._ The locket was already gone. They knew that they had another horcrux to destroy, but they weren't sure which one. Then there was the fact that Voldemort had been, before he "killed" Sirius, turning the Ravenclaw diadem into a horcrux.

Yes, Voldemort had killed Sirius. Or so he thought. But Sirius wasn't dead, and he was grateful for the fact that he got to stay alive. Thanks to the Angel of Death. Thanks to _God._ But Voldemort didn't know that Sirius was alive. He, like the rest of Britain, thought the handsome young man was _dead._

A lot had happened in the last year: Sirius had died, Sirius had killed Voldemort, Sirius came back to life but so did the Dark Lord. He had a son he only learnt about in January, he was given the task of killing Voldemort, he had replaced his godson as the Chosen One.

Maybe it was just destiny. Maybe _this _was the final task of defeating the darkness within Sirius; to kill the epitome of evil.

Whilst he thought hard about all that had transpired in the last year or so, he sunk further and further into a dream. But it wasn't like the dream memory he'd just had of Hogwarts back in third year. This was insight ... insight _inside _the Dark Lord's mind.

_x_

_The room was large. Everyone was seated around the enormous oak table sitting in the centre of the dining room. At the front was Lord Voldemort, with his newly deformed face; a flat nose, eyes like rubies and skin a pale grey._

_He radiated power and wealth. He pulled back his chair and everyone stood up, a few graceful and others hurriedly, scared to annoy him. They waited until their Dark Lord sat down before they took their seats again._

_'My Lord,' the Death Eaters uttered in low, hushed voices. They quietened down when Lord Voldemort raised a grey and aged hand to silence them._

_'My friends,' he said, smiling. He was happier than he had ever been in his entire life. He killed Sirius Black; he managed to kill SIRIUS BLACK! Now, the only thing left was Harry Potter. That should be easy, Voldemort thought. If he could kill Sirius Black, surely he could get past James and Lily Potter. The only thing or rather, the only _person _getting in the way was Dumbledore._

_But Dumbledore could be sorted out. If Voldemort could defeat him once, surely a second time would be just as easy?_

_'The Order ... is dead.' Voldemort breathed. Then he split into a wide smile whilst the Death Eaters sitting around him burst into applause and cheers. 'They have been inactive for over a month. Severus has informed me that the teachers of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry have been submissive, ever since the riots on the night of Sirius Black's escape from Malfoy Manor.'_

_There were more laughs and claps. Severus was nodding and smiling at the Dark Lord. 'The teachers have succumbed to the new punishments you had me bring in my Lord. Even McGonagall, a good friend and follower of Dumbledore, does everything I ask.'_

_'She's still rude to me,' Barty Crouch muttered under his breath. Opposite him sat Bellatrix, and they looked at one another with such admiration (and love on Barty's part) that the young man ducked his head, grinning to himself. He ignored the fact that she was married and eight years older. He was in love._

_'It seems for now, Dumbledore is planning.' Voldemort continued. 'His two paths have now become one; they have become a dark path which has only one ending. Whilst the Order is dormant, we shall expand our power. Seize Ireland; spread the Blood Purification Test to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland first. If we have power throughout Britain, then it will make the task of regaining the country _that much harder!_ After we gain full and total control of Britain, we can start on bigger things.'_

_'My Lord?' no one knew exactly who said those two words, but they were all questioning what he meant by 'bigger things'._

_'Well, you don't just think I'll take over Britain and leave it at that?' but at the blank expressions Voldemort was answered with, he started laughing. 'Oh no. There are bigger and better places to gain control over. If Grindelwald can take over almost half of Europe, why can't I?'_

_Everyone shivered, even Bellatrix and Barty and all the others who agreed wholeheartedly with what Lord Voldemort did. Perhaps it was Severus who shivered hardest. He needed to get word back to Dumbledore; he needed the man to know just _what _Voldemort's plans were._

_The applause started from Severus, and spread throughout the room. There were about thirty of them here, thirty of Voldemort's most precious and most trustworthy Death Eaters. But there were hundreds more. Yes, _hundreds. _Those who were converting to the Dark Lord, to the Dark Side._

_'Did you know in Morocco,' Voldemort started, 'Muggles are treated like royalty by wizards and witches? But werewolves__ are ostracised by society. They choose _Muggles _over fellow witch and wizard werewolves. I guess Morocco feel as if they are so open minded, hmm?'_

_Everyone started laughing. Greyback however clenched his teeth and spat dramatically on the floor. 'Muggles over werewolves? Makes me sick!' but he stopped shouting when the Dark Lord held up his hand patiently._

_'I know, Fenrir. And I agree. This is why we need to gain control of other countries too; so we can teach them and show them the right way of life.' There were more claps and the Dark Lord looked around, satisfied and smiling brightly. His smile was frightening. There wasn't a trace left of the handsome man that had once been._

_'Onto other news, I have heard from our favourite healer, Madison. You all remember Madison, am I right?' Voldemort asked. There were a few shakes of heads and others nodding passionately. Madison was a faithful Death Eater. She helped the Dark Lord a lot and usually provided him and others with whatever they needed._

_'From the Azkaban Fortress, she has collected thirty strong and durable Mudbloods. Madison, with a few of Fenrir's werewolves, and a few of our own Death Eaters, has set up five labs. She brought me good news this morning.'_

_'What good news, my Lord?' Dolohov asked after a moment._

_The Dark Lord smiled after a moment. 'They have already started testing.'_

_'Testing what?'_

_'Testing to see whether magic can be extracted from Mudbloods and transferred into someone else. Transferred into me._'

_There was silence. Severus didn't know what to say. None of the other Death Eaters knew what to say. They were too scared. In fact, scared was an understatement. They were trembling; Severus was trembling._

_As for Lord Voldemort, he ignored the scared Death Eaters, and instead smiled. Things were going well; Black was dead, the Order were dormant and Madison had started testing. The Dark Lord imagined all she could uncover in a month, six months, a year! He was happy._

_All was going well, if only it would all stay well._

_o_

For a second time that night, Sirius jolted awake. Rose started stirring, but he was out of the bed before she woke up. She cuddled up closer to the warmth Sirius's body left behind and sunk deeper into her slumber.

He was still trembling. How could he ... _how could he do that?_ Sirius wanted to cry. Those poor Muggleborns. If they did indeed have their power stripped from them ... the _pain _they would go through. The agony was enough to kill them. But of course the Dark Lord wouldn't care. What were a few dozen disgusting Mudbloods to him?

Sirius peaked into the small cot his son lay in. He was sure SJ would grow up looking _exactly _like him. Maybe even better. He certainly inherited Sirius's favourite feature of Rose's face; her lips. Those lips were good. In fact ... good was an understatement. They were incredible. At just about anything.

He reached out and touched the skin of his son's cheek. 'I love you,' Sirius sung under his voice. He started singing to his son, willing the dream he just dreamt to leave his mind. But it was too vivid. Sirius couldn't just let it remain in his mind. He had to let it out. It hurt. It hurt just thinking about Lord Voldemort, about what he could do and what he was _going _to do.

Sirius picked up his son, almost as though he was using him as a sort of talisman, shielding away the invading pain. It worked. 'I love you. No one ...' Sirius couldn't help himself; he kissed his son's cheek, silky soft, 'no one loves you like I do. When you grow up you're going to be so gorgeous. You already are ...'

Sirius closed the door behind him, turning quickly to check his son's Mother was still asleep. She was. The tunnels were long and winding, and there had to be dozens of rooms and chambers here in the old Auror training camp, now their underground base. But Sirius knew the way to James and Lily's room. When he got there, he put his ear to the door, checking they weren't busy.

When he was greeted with snores only, Sirius opened the door as quietly as he could. Lily had the covers wrapped firmly around her naked body, and she was tucked into James's side. Thanking the heavens that his friend was a light sleeper, Sirius hissed repeatedly under his breath 'Prongs!' and soon woke the man up. James looked up and sighed, rolling his eyes. 'One sec,' he mouthed, manoeuvring around under the sheets awkwardly. Soon, he tugged up his underwear and a pair of trousers, standing up. He ran a hand over his bare chest and nodded for Sirius to leave first.

When the door was closed behind them, Sirius grinned widely at him. 'At least you're getting some. I got off from watching Remus _bend _over.' He pretended to gag but laughed softly. 'It's not that Rose isn't putting out ... believe me, she's tried. But if I have sex with her ... isn't that like forgiving everything she's done?'

'What d'you mean?' asked James, nodding to one of the Aurors walking past.

'I feel like I haven't made her sweat enough—'

'I think you have,' James said, following his friend and touching the nose of his nephew gently. 'You almost killed her, you shouted at her and humiliated her in front of us repeatedly, and you hacked all her hair off. I think that's more than enough.' They opened the door to one of the many lounges and grinned when they saw it was empty.

They sat together in the corner, where it was coolest and the candlelight was dim. 'I ... what if I ... you know ... _can't?_' Sirius blushed furiously, looking anywhere but James's face.

James scoffed. 'You can't seriously be doubting your abilities now, can you?'

Sirius frowned. 'James, I haven't had sex since _October!_ What if—'

'She'll understand. Anyone would understand. You've got nothing to be embarrassed about Padfoot. I'm not just saying that. Now, don't tell me you woke me up because you're horny? Otherwise I'll hit you.'

Sirius laughed, burying his face in his son's neck and kissing his skin hungrily. He had that smell ... the same smell Harry had when he was SJ's age, the same smell young Harry still slightly had. It was a captivating, gorgeous smell. One Sirius could never get enough of. He kissed the top of his son's head again and smiled to himself.

'— earth to Sirius, you fucking prat! I'm going to sleep. What did you wake me up for?'

'I had another sort of ... I could see inside him. What he was talking about. It wasn't a memory, it was definitely happening at the time of the dream.'

'Fuck,' James gasped, 'what ... w-what happened?'

'He had about twenty or thirty of his favourite Death Eaters. He was thinking about how happy he was that he managed to kill me. Then he started talking about us, about the Order and how we're inactive. How he has beaten us. How he wants to take over the whole of Britain. But when he accomplishes that, he's going to try what Grindelwald tried. Prongs ... he's going to try and take over the whole of Europe, and if he can, more.'

James was shaking his head, holding the hand of his nephew tight in his own larger one. 'Sirius ... Sirius ...' his hazel eyes were wide. 'If he does? If he manages ...'

For as long as Sirius lived, which thanks to the horcrux no one but Dumbledore knew about, would be a long time, he would try and bring down Voldemort. He had knowledge the other man knew nothing about. He would hunt and hunt until he had nothing left in him. And even then he would carry on.

For a thousand years if he had to!

'"If he manages" means nothing Prongs. It's so much bigger than that. The question is "if he manages, will we still fight?"'

James swallowed like there was something stuck in his throat. He licked his lips. 'Of course.' His hand, almost subconsciously went to touch his pocket. The pocket he _always _kept the Time Turner in. The Time Turner. The very instrument that could _fix _everything. The very instrument that could _change _everything. Maybe with this they could win?

But with this they would definitely die. It was so confusing; it hurt to even think about the Time Turner. So many questions, so many answers and not enough time. 'What if we had a Time Turner?'

Holed up in the coolest, darkest corner of the lounge, sharing a loveseat, James was intelligent enough to feel the atmosphere; feel the tension radiating from his friend's body. His own body sagged. Sirius's stoic manner was enough of an answer; all James's suspicions were true. His friend had been using the Time Turner.

'Where would we get one from?' it wasn't much of a surprise to James when Sirius asked the question with perfect composure; his friend was an incredible actor, especially when he wanted to be.

'The Ministry? I don't know. All I know is a Time Turner could do us some good. Maybe with a Time Turner, we could finally beat Lord Voldemort.' James's voice shook. He hoped Sirius didn't notice. He didn't want Sirius to get suspicious. Suspicious about whether he himself knew about the Time Turner or not. Because that would ruin everything, like the plans James was making.

'They're illegal to use mate. You would be fined more money than either of us rich boys own. You would be locked in Azkaban for your whole life. You do know that, right?' Sirius turned to face him properly, the first time this whole conversation.

'Of course I know that.' James answered. _Do you know that?_

'Look,' he continued, 'we'll tell Dumbledore everything you saw tomorrow. It would be better. I think the werewolves are coming back tomorrow. With the knowledge they give us and the knowledge you give Dumbledore, he'll know what to do.'

Sirius swallowed and nodded, nudging his friend and smiling. 'Right.' He said. 'Okay.'

'Ooh,' James whispered, leaning closer to take a look at SJ. 'Sirius James is awake.' He said when the boy's gorgeous wide grey eyes opened. Then they both smelt something. And it wasn't a nice smell.

'James, please—'

'He's made from _your _sperm, why don't you do it—?'

'Rock, paper, scissors!' Sirius shouted, sticking out his fist and clashing it with James's.

'Fuck off!' James cried with a chuckle.

'Gonna turn down a challenge, Jamie? Never pegged you for a loser —'

'You're on then, pretty boy.' James grinned, throwing his head back and laughing. He could never turn down a challenge. And Sirius knew that.

'One,'

'Two,'

'Three!'

'Dammit Padfoot!' James cried, glaring at Sirius's rock and his scissors. 'You're such an arse. Give that little fucker here, then.'

* * *

**A/N:** I tried to lighten the mood with a fun ending whilst easing you all back into the story, it took five rewrites to ease myself back into this! Remember to follow, favourite and review.

Also, don't continue reading this if you haven't read HIS TWO PATHS, seeing as this story is a sequel. So check out the first installment on my profile :)

Cheers guys!


	2. Celebrations

**Disclaimer;** Don't own anything but plot/OCs and some spells.

**A/N:** This couldn't have been done without the brilliant SilverTippedWings who has helped me a lot.

On another note, I'm mesmerised by how brilliant the reception to this story was for the previous chapter. Why are you all so amazing? Also, almost everyone who followed A.D.P reviewed and I'd like to thank you so much for that.

Maybe I could get a similar reception for this chapter? ;)

**Warning:** there is light smut ahead.

**Important Note: **if you haven't read His Two Paths, go to my page and read it first.

* * *

_xoxo_

_2. Celebrations_

It was the thirtieth of July, Neville's second birthday. And tomorrow would be Harry's. Whilst Moody and the other Aurors and Order members worked furiously with Dumbledore; creating plans and discussing Britain's Wizarding World, Lily and Alice were hosting a small birthday party.

For both Neville _and_ Harry.

SJ wailed through the whole thing, receiving a few glares from the two year old and soon-to-be two year old. The party lifted the mood and atmosphere, bringing smiles to the faces of everyone. The party was in the largest lounge, with alcohol and a big cake (courtesy of Alice's brilliant cooking). The WWN was switched on to _The Prophecy's Top Ten Hits _and everyone swayed to the music and chatted eagerly.

Whilst James and Remus joked around, dancing together, Sirius sat in the corner of the lounge, running his fingers over the Dark Mark Lord Voldemort had given him. Sirius had followed James's advice from a few weeks ago and told Dumbledore everything. He had never seen the old man so aged and worried. It had _scared _Sirius.

Instead of getting weaker, _he _was growing. Voldemort's roots were sinking deeper into the foundations of Britain's Wizarding World. He was changing _everything._ Sirius knew they needed to hurry and do something, anything that could throw Voldemort off balance. But he was invincible. So he and James had destroyed the Slytherin locket, they still had an unknown amount left to get rid of.

Sirius hoped there was just one more. Perhaps the Ravenclaw diadem? Last time Sirius had checked, Voldemort had put a hiatus on making the diadem a horcrux; resting his sole attention onto killing Sirius and the other Marauders.

But now he thought Sirius was dead and the other Marauders were in hiding...

Maybe the Ravenclaw diadem was a horcrux now. Regardless, Sirius needed to find it. He wasn't going to go through what happened last time.

Sirius turned to look at Frank, who plopped down beside him on the comfortable sofa. Sirius grinned at him. 'Do we really have to wear these hats? Seeing you in it makes me feel even more stupid.'

Frank laughed half heartedly. 'Alice tried to get Moody to wear one, he told her to go away, or his exact words were "fuck off before I jinx you".'

Sirius grinned. 'Wow. I think Moody's forgotten how to treat a lady.'

The older man shrugged. 'I don't think he knows how to treat a lady full stop.' Frank had a bit of an Irish undertone to his rather cockney accent. 'Sirius...'

'Hmm?'

'D'you ... d'you really think you can kill Voldemort?' he was worried. Sirius could guess from the way Frank was talking; urgently, scared, panicked.

'Frank? What's happened?' Sirius whispered. He was scared now. Although Frank was three years older, he felt protective of the man.

Frank buried his face in his hands. 'Alice is pregnant. And I ... I _can't _do this. I can't raise another baby in a war. Especially when we're _losing! _I'm so scared ... for all of them! For my wife and my son and my unborn child.'

Chewing on his lip, the handsome Black looked down. He couldn't look Frank in the face. 'I ... I'm not sure. I want to. I need to. But I can't promise anything. I mean he killed _me _last time I checked.'

'You came back.' Frank said shortly.

Sirius almost smiled. 'I know, surprising isn't it?' then he sighed. 'I don't know how I came back. But I promise you Frank, I'm not just saying this, I _promise _you for as long as I live I'll try and take him down. I have a son too!'

As if on cue, there was a loud wailing noise and the sound of Harry arguing. Sirius looked up and laughed. Harry was actually telling SJ off; moreover, SJ actually _shut _up! Sirius turned to face Frank. 'Congratulations mate, on the baby. How many weeks gone?'

'Three weeks.' The older man said, ducking his head.

Sirius grinned. 'You old dog, my room is right next to yours!' he smiled again at his friend, winking. 'I'm happy for you. And I hope everything turns out right.'

Frank clapped Sirius on the shoulder. 'You too mate—' he was about to say more when interrupted by a small figure, shooting towards him. Neville Longbottom landed on his Father's knee, his ridiculous pointed hat almost taking out his Father's eye. 'Nev, you almost took out my eye!'

Neville giggled, his black hair glistening in the bright lamplight. 'Sowy, daddy.'

'It's okay. Are you having fun at your birthday party?'

Sirius was sure Neville didn't understand anything his Father said, but the small boy, bless him, nodded and dribbled a little. 'Daddy,' he whispered, leaning over to mumble something into Frank's ear. Sirius almost laughed when Neville grew confused and instead leant over to whisper into his ear.

'I had aci-dent.'

Sirius looked down at Neville's pants and sighed in relief when he saw the nappy bump. 'You heard him Frank; he needs you to change his nappy.' The smell followed shortly after and Sirius gagged. When Frank left, he was once again sitting alone. But after a few minutes, Remus sat beside him, with the werewolf's baby on his lap.

'That baby may as well be yours. You take care more of the baby than the Mother does.'

Remus grinned handsomely at him. 'She's gone to recruit. And Dumbledore told me she's bringing back the ingredients for a potion, the one she drinks to keep her mind during the transformations.' His voice was level and normal, but his face betrayed the ecstasy and excitement he was feeling.

'Imagine ... keeping my mind during transformations. Then you guys wouldn't need to accompany me.'

Sirius shook his head forcefully. 'We'll still come with you because it's what friends do! We want to entertain you, to keep you company, to help you forget about the pain of transforming in the first place.' He leaned over and took baby Shia's hand. She grinned at him, glistening white teeth, sharp and straight.

'She's gorgeous,' Sirius mumbled, touching Shia's cheek and smiling at how silky soft it was. 'Is she half Spanish or something?'

'Quarter Moroccan, three quarters Irish.' Remus explained. He looked down at Shia's face and grinned at her as wide as he could. 'She is gorgeous...' he said almost sadly.

'What's wrong Moony?' Sirius said sadly.

'Honestly?' he asked. When the other man nodded, he sighed again. 'Ever since I learnt that werewolves can have babies without passing down the curse, I've wanted one. I'm so tired of this war. I want to ... I want to fall in love and settle down and have kids. Emily's a vampire. I need to be realistic; we're never going to have a life together. The feeling between us is really just lust. She's saved my life a lot and she's great fun but ... how did you figure out Rose was The One?'

Sirius was thrown off course by how abruptly Remus changed subjects. He decided to answer truthfully. 'I'm not sure she's The One, at least not for me. I mean that doesn't make me love her or care about her any less, but I know there's someone better for me out there.'

'And if you found that person? Would you choose a perfect relationship over the one you have with Rose?'

Sirius paused for a moment, chewing on his lip. Then he shook his head. 'No, no I wouldn't choose a perfect relationship over the crazy one me and her have. Where's the fun in that?'

'PADFOOT!' James roared over the music. The music stopped and he came over with Remus to where everyone was crowded around. He fought through the seventh years, sending a wink to a few of them, until he was beside James. There was a table in front of them with a bigger cake than before, large and with broomsticks and snitches on it, glistening and whizzing around in the icing.

Harry and Neville were being held by their respective parents, grinning and chuckling. 'Cake!' Harry declared. Cautiously, and with Lily's hand wrapped around his smaller one, Harry cut a slice of the cake, slicing the snitch into half. Neville did the same and then there was a loud chorus of "HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!"

SJ started crying and Sirius took his small son away from all the noise, to the kitchen. He poured himself some whiskey and sung softly to the song now playing loudly on the WWN. In hurried Rose, bottle of firewhiskey half empty in her hands. She swayed a little.

'I haven't spoken to you all day.' She commented. Then she pulled the hat off and threw it to the ground. Rose was pretty, she wasn't always pretty; in her childhood she had been goofy, chubby and incredibly pale.

But then as her body grew into that of a woman's, her hips curved deliciously and her stomach flattened and her legs grew longer. Her hair (up until Sirius hacked it all off with scissors) had once come up to her thighs in thick long golden locks. Now it barely brushed her jaw, but she suited it. The sharpness of her jaw was alluring.

Sirius could kiss her jaw all day.

'I know.' He replied, son in one hand and whiskey in the other. He was still screaming. 'You know, me and Prongs would pour a little whiskey into Harry's milk and he'd go right to sleep. Maybe we should try that now.'

SJ, as if sensing the danger, shut right up. Then he gave his parents a watery chuckle and grinned at them, showing them the small beginnings of teeth he was growing. Sirius James was teething. And it kept them up for hours at night.

'Let's take him to bed,' Rose suggested, opening the door for Sirius and following after him. It was a quick walk to their room. Rose whispered a spell and the door opened. It was rather clean inside, cleaner than it had been when Sirius woke up and left the room quickly.

'I cleaned up this morning after I almost fell to my death over those bloody toys Prongs' brat keeps dumping here.' She explained, getting her son's blankets from the drawers and clothing the small crib. Sirius set the small boy down, smiling at him and pressing a kiss to his forehead.

'He looks more like me everyday,' Sirius commented, leaning on the crib and staring down at the small boy.

'Hmm,' Rose said from behind Sirius, on the enormous bed they sometimes shared. "Sometimes" because Sirius would be in one of those moods, a mood he had never experienced until his imprisonment with Voldemort. And in this mood, he couldn't even bring himself to look at Rose, let alone be close to her.

Sirius remembered the times when the only thing he had to worry about was getting to the Ministry on time, scared that Moody might jinx him again. He remembered when the only thing he was frightened of was seeing one of his past One-Night-Stands in Diagon Alley, demanding him to answer why he hadn't owled them the morning after.

He had told Dumbledore a few weeks ago about the dreams, and now Dumbledore made him come to his chambers every few nights. They would talk, Sirius would stir memories into a pensieve, he would watch them, he would grieve...

Sirius shook his head, willing his body to get rid of the horrid memories. He never wanted to remember how heartbroken he had been when Voldemort returned to mortality. He thought back on his own return to humanity; Regulus had been there, or rather, an Angel of Death, taking on the form of Regulus.

It seemed to think he would be most comforted with the image of his brother, but if anything, it hurt Sirius even more. He chewed on his lip before jolting back to reality; it happened a lot, his thoughts drifting and wandering from subject to subject. He marvelled at how awful his attention span was now. Thanks to those damn hallucinations.

But were they _really _hallucinations?

Again ... he was getting lost. It was like his mind was a cavern, with endless loops and nooks and crannies – in his own mind, Sirius could be anything. He could do anything. History could change into whatever he wanted it to change into.

He suddenly realised Rose had been very quiet the whole time they had been in this room. He turned slowly from the crib, half expecting her to be asleep or reading another one of her _Chatter Daily _magazines. But instead, she was sitting patiently on the end, watching him.

She was naked.

And Sirius was instantly turned on. He looked away only to look back instantly. 'Rose,' he moaned, shaking his head and pressing the heels of his palms into his eyes. 'Put your clothes back on.'

'I heard you,' she said, ignoring him, 'a few weeks ago with James when I got up to go toilet. It was just the beginning of the conversation; I was scared you'd both hear me. You said you hadn't had sex since _October. _Sirius, it's practically August. That's almost a _year._ Don't you get ... don't you even want to have sex?'

'Of course I do! What respective twenty two year old doesn't? But not with you Rose.'

Her face fell, and she covered her body with her hands, ripping the blanket off of the bed and draping it over her body. Her golden skin was flushed red. 'I-is it because I've ... you know ... had a baby—and I've gone fat and—'

'No,' Sirius whispered, then he turned to look at her embarrassed and shy and sad face. He couldn't believe how horribly he had worded it. Sirius approached her slowly then sunk to his knees, until their faces were level. He touched the skin of her thigh peeping out under the blanket, and stroked gently. 'No, of course it isn't ... you're gorgeous Rose, you know that ... I just don't want – don't want ... I ...' he could hardly pay attention, she was naked right there, giving herself to him.

Why was he turning her down again? Was it because he didn't want her? Or because he didn't want to _let _her down?

Sirius stood up and kicked his shoes off. He'd never know unless he tried. 'You're a bitch. And you've ruined my life. But I love you, somehow, or at least I _think _I do.'

She looked up and gave him a watery chuckle. Rose reached up to take off her pendant and Sirius froze. 'No!' he said before he could stop himself.

She looked up quizzically. Rose slowly lowered her hands, looking at him. She was frightened when she saw a glint of something dark, something one hundred percent _not _Sirius. Rose watched him. She watched him run a hand through his jaw length black hair, the way he wiped his face, as though trying to clean it.

Then he looked up. His eyes were lighter, back to normal. Almost back to normal. He smiled rather reluctantly at her. 'You look beautiful with it,' he said slowly. 'Keep it on.'

Sirius advanced on her, climbing on top, still fully clothed, and kissing her lips roughly. Now he had the opportunity to finally have sex with Rose and break his abstinence. He decided that he needed to seize the day, you know, all that Carpe Diem bullshit, Sirius thought. He deserved it. He deserved a few short lived moments of happiness and pleasure.

He let her unbutton his short sleeved shirt and didn't object when her lips travelled lower.

_xo_

James and Remus listened at the door, and then they winced when Rose started moaning and making noises. Sirius told her to be quiet a numerous amount of times, 'Shush,' he would say, 'God Rose,' was another thing he often repeated.

And his moans made James and Remus feel like perverts, like dirty old shirt lifters. But they carried on listening anyway, ignoring their own personal little problems. The sound of the bed hitting the wall increased in speed and volume. Flesh slapped against flesh as Sirius grew fiercer and fiercer.

'Fuck, Sirius,' Rose would cry. And this time she screamed, yes, _screamed _as loud as she could. They could hear Sirius's cocky, arrogant chuckles and then the rhythm picking up again.

James was about to make a witty comment when fingers enclosed around his ears. He half glanced at Remus to see that Lily had done the same to him. 'You dirty old pervs, what's wrong with you?!' Lily cried. 'You can't listen to ... listen to two people ... two people ... having ...' she stopped talking when the noises increased again in volume.

Rose was really quite vocal.

With a wave of her wand, Lily silenced the sounds of love making. 'I swear James Potter ... I'm insulted you're listening to other people having sex. Is what we have so boring you get off when other people do it?'

James paled and took her hands. Her face was as red as her hair. 'Of course not Lily, I'd never get bored of sex with you. In fact, I think it's better each time we do it—'

'Then why are you listening to other people f—' Lily began but her husband silenced her with a finger to her lips.

'It was just a joke. Me and Remus were messing around babe, hold your horses. Look, I'll prove to you how much fun I have by letting you do that thing you love doing, the thing that personally, I think is an insult to my masculinity but ...'

Lily grinned. 'Really?'

'Really.' She smiled at him and just like that, James knew she had forgiven him. He leaned forward and pressed a quick kiss to her lips before winking at Remus.

'Now, let them make love in peace.' Lily huffed, grabbing her husband's hand and then her best friend's, pulling them in the opposite direction. She ignored both Marauders when they started snickering again.

_Honestly,_ Lily thought,_ they were like a bunch of teenage virgins. _

_xo_

Sirius huffed, wiping a trickle of perspiration from his _girlfriend's(?)_ forehead. Then she smiled softly at her, basking in the lazy and jelly feeling of pleasure settling into their bones and muscles. Slowly he turned to face her, his head flopping over his arm. Their eyes met and they started at each other for a while, neither talking.

He lifted his hand (which felt like it weighed a tonne) and stroked the locket lying on her breast, almost wincing at how cold it was compared to the heat radiating off of her body. Surely she would get suspicious...

'You did better than you thought you would,' Rose commented lightly. 'I think it's because you wore two condoms though.'

Sirius laughed softly, pressing his ear to her chest and smiling tenderly when he could hear the distant beating of her heart. 'I promised myself I would never touch you without at least two layers of protection between us.'

She grinned and then winced. 'Ow,' Rose said softly, touching the rose pendant and flinching. Then she shook her head and started smiling again, not noticing Sirius's narrowed eyes.

'What?' he asked softly.

'Nothing.' Rose replied, smiling. 'I'm glad we're friends again, I was worried everything...' she continued to talk whilst Sirius thought of her pendant. What if she went to investigate with James and the others? What if they found out what he had made? What if they found out what he was?

A monster.

Sirius was surely a monster. Only a monster would make a horcrux.

'We'll take it one step at a time.' He said slowly, almost reluctantly. Then he rolled over and stood up in all his naked glory, searching for his clothes. One by one, Sirius put them on. He peeked into the crib where his son was sleeping happily, a soft smile on his face.

When he had a pair of trousers on and some socks, Sirius looked back at Rose. Her eyes raked his bare chest and his face before she stifled a giggle, winking in answer.

'What?' Sirius asked.

'Oh, nothing ...' Rose laughed again. Then she turned over on the bed, revealing a naked behind and a very tanned and inked back. The trail of stars descended from the back of her neck, over her golden back, across one of her bum cheeks before settling on the top of her thigh.

The largest star, the one inked on the small of her back, had the initials of _SB _underneath. Sirius smiled softly at her and leaned forward to place a hasty kiss on the large star just as the door burst open. Sirius looked up, his lips still touching on Rose's back. It was Peter, Remus and James watching them with large eyes.

Sirius sighed, covering Rose's body with a blanket. She seemed not the slightest bit fazed that they had all just seen her naked and instead smiled. Leaning forward, Sirius kissed her deeply on the lips again and then nodded to the Marauders.

'What is it?'

He could read them like a book. It was Peter who started talking, scratching his forearm worriedly and looking back at the others with a half frightened glance.

'Sirius, you need to come into the lounge. The WWN announced something about Malfoy...'

The handsome Black didn't even put a top on; he barged past his friends hurriedly and almost _ran _into the largest lounge where Harry and Neville's birthday parties had been going on.

'What?' he panted. 'What is—?'

_'— Malfoy is now just going to give us a few words on his speedy recovery ... Good evening Minister, congratulations on your speedy recovery! Now, Mr Malfoy sir, you have been Minister of Magic for several months now. Since you first came into the office, you have been paralysed from waist down. Now you have recovered from such a fatal tragedy, how do you think the newly recovered use of your legs is going to help further what the Ministry is trying to achieve in Wizarding Britain?'_

Malfoy's serpentine, silky smooth voice filled the room.

_'Well, Mr Connor, I believe that now being fully able once again, I'll be able to do fieldwork, something that has always been a great way for me to plan and to wriggle out problems and things I could have missed. I also think that if I've done such a great job with half a body, imagine what I can do for Britain with a full body?'_

There was a half hearted laugh, probably emitted mostly from fear instead of genuine amusement.

_'But really,' _continued Malfoy, _'I believe that now I have managed to throw off Sirius Black's final curse on me, I'll be able to trump out the small amount of rebels still fighting in the name of Black. Now they can see he really is no better than everyone believes he is.'_

The reporter started talking. _'What do you mean by that, Minister?'_

_'What I mean by that Mr Connor, is many people believed and still do believe that Sirius Black is stronger than the Dark Lord, who has recently, as many of you know, come to light in Wizarding Britain. _This is a lie! _Sirius Black merely has luck and fate and endless lives willing to sacrifice themselves for him on his side! I believe that he really is no better than any other ordinary wizard or witch on the road.'_

_'Yes Minister. What do you plan to do with the rebels who are still fighting on the side of Sirius Black?'_

There was a silence, hard and resonating. Sirius was clenching his fists, trying as hard as he could not to explode and hit anything and everything.

There was a soft, chuckling laugh that entered the room. _Malfoy was laughing! _Sirius growled.

_'Well,' _the Minister continued, _'well they'll just go the same way all the Mudbloods are going. Now, I'd like to take a quick moment to acknowledge Madison Jeffrey. I am awarding her with _Order of Merlin, First Class _for the outstanding work and effort she has put into an experiment which has hitherto been attempted...'_

Lucius continued talking but Sirius barely paid him any attention. His fists were clenched so tightly they turned white. His face shook as he gritted his teeth, glaring as hard as he could at the Wireless, almost as though if he stared hard enough everything that had been said would become a lie.

Sirius hoped it was a lie.

But he knew it wasn't. He didn't know how he knew, but he just did. He turned to look away from everyone, meeting the eyes of Remus as he did this. The other man must have seen something he didn't like because he flinched and hurriedly looked away.

Sirius left the room as fast as he could, barging Alice on the way out. He couldn't believe it. He didn't _want _to believe it. But he knew he had to.

Lucius Malfoy had the use of his legs back. And that Madison woman had made a breakthrough. But what _sort _of breakthrough?

Sirius didn't stop running until he was in the bathroom. Malfoy wasn't paralysed anymore. He shouted as loud as he could, kicking the door shut and screaming a stream of profanities. Then he bowed over the sink and threw water onto his face.

No one could see his tears when his face was wet all over.

_xo_

It was three hours after the WWN broadcast. Sirius had disappeared, Remus decided. He hadn't seen the other man since his eyes turned red.

Remus shivered. There was something ... _off _about Sirius. Ever since the final fight with Voldemort when he was killed ... the handsome man was different. He talked different, he moved differently and he looked like a darker version on himself. It scared the werewolf.

Something had happened to Sirius. Maybe it was the Dark Mark the Dark Lord had given him, turning him rotten. But he handled the mark for months without becoming like he was now. Remus currently had James's Invisibility Cloak in his hands.

He was going to follow Sirius for his weekly chat with Dumbledore. Remus threw the cloak over his shoulders and then covered his head. He walked as slowly as he could, barely managing to evade bumping into some seventh years and Aurors. He just managed to make it to Sirius's room just as the handsome Black was leaving.

His hands were trembling and his deep grey eyes were filled with tears. Sirius walked as fast as he could, unaware that to his left stood Remus, sheathed by the infamous cloak. They walked in silence to Dumbledore's quarters. Sirius knocked and then came in, leaving the door open long enough for a figure to slip in. Sitting patiently in the corner of the large room, behind a desk and with a quill in his hand, was the Headmaster.

He looked up and frowned. 'Your eyes Sirius ... you need to learn to control it.' His voice was very similar to the one he used when scolding rowdy students. To Albus though, Sirius would always be a rowdy student. 'Sit down,' he said tiredly, going back to writing his letter. Sirius crossed the room, opening the cabinet and pouring himself some whiskey. He drained the glass and poured another before sitting down on the threadbare, aged sofa.

His body was still trembling and more than once, he buried his head between his knees. When Albus finished writing his letter, he set the quill down and stood up, sweeping robes of grey flowing around him.

'What's happened Sirius?' Albus asked patiently, taking a seat opposite Sirius. Holding his breath, the invisible werewolf took a seat on the floor, far enough so they wouldn't detect him but close enough to hear every word.

'Did you hear about Malfoy?' Sirius seethed. 'He broke the spell I set. He _broke _the Paralysis Curse I set on him!'

'But what does it matter Sirius? We found out the truth. We found out Malfoy was lying, he never killed Regulus. What—'

'It matters because he still made my brother's life a misery! He made _my _life a misery when ...' Sirius's face took on a horrified expression, 'when I was imprisoned in his home. And he's the reason Peter betrayed us. You remember what could have happened ... if I had followed through with my plan to make Peter the secret keeper for James and Lily...'

Remus bit his lip. What did they mean? _"... if I had followed through with my plan to make Peter the secret keeper..." _

What did that _mean?! _He didn't understand anything. But now he knew something was going on, something incredibly dangerous. 'Yes Sirius, I understand...'

'We need to go now. We need to get the horcruxes, destroy them and destroy Voldemort. I'm so tired Professor. Of everything. I can't do this anymore. I just want to give up.' He breathed, draining his glass of whiskey and reaching over to grab it from the cabinet. Albus however waved his wand the bottle vanished.

'We can't go into your memories Sirius, if you're drunk.' The Headmaster said in a firm, forceful voice. 'Now ... how are your dreams? Anything recurring?'

'The future Sirius, from Diagon Alley. He keeps coming back in my dreams. And I see bits of James and Lily dead. I ... Professor they never died in this course of history, why can I see them dead?'

Remus barely managed to stifle his gasp. He bit on his palm as hard as he could and was thrilled when the cackling of the fire drowned out the small noise he did manage to make. James ... Lily ... dead? No ... _no! _Remus wanted to scream.

They're not dead now, and that's all that matters. But then...

'Tell me more. What did Time Turner Sirius want?'

The young man shook his head. 'He told me I didn't do it right. I didn't change history the way he wanted me to. He said I've let everyone down.' Sirius started to hyperventilate. 'What if everyone finds out what I've done? Remus would never look at me again ... James'll kill me. I genuinely think he might just kill me.'

Albus leaned forward, taking Sirius's hands and silencing him with a frown. 'Listen to me Sirius ... what's done is done. Maybe changing the course of history is not what you should have done, but it's happened. Nothing can change that now. Besides ... maybe I _wanted _you to change history. Maybe I wanted you to become secret keeper...'

The other man tilted his head, his hands inside the Headmaster's largest ones trembled. 'I remember when you summoned me to your office. You seemed hell bent on me letting Peter become the secret keeper. I don't understand...'

'Sirius, it was me. The future me from ten days gave the future _you _the Time Turner.'

He took a moment to process the words, not noticing Remus a few feet away frozen in shock. 'Future me said he found the Time Turner in his robe pocket.'

'Yes, he _found _it. He didn't acquire it personally.'

'_Why?!_' Sirius cried as loud as he could. He ripped his hands out of the older man's and stood up, furiously marching over to the cabinet and pulling it open. He took out some brandy and drunk straight from the bottle. He started muttering to himself, biting his lip and shouting out more than once.

Professor Dumbledore waited patiently, watching the handsome man rant and rave. But Remus himself wanted to ask as many questions as he could. What ... what did this mean?

'Why would you burden me with this? Imagine if I didn't change the course of time ... imagine I convinced James and Lily, like history intended, to use Peter instead of me as secret keeper. Things would have turned out differently. The people who are dead now would still be alive!'

'And the people who would die in that now far-off present are still alive now because of it! Because of what you have done! Don't try and think of the "what could have been"s and the "what _should _have been"s because it's a waste of time.'

Sirius's body shook with anger. He threw the empty brandy bottle across the room (narrowly missing Remus's head) and watched in satisfaction as it crashed.

'You make me sick.' He spat at Dumbledore.

Albus shrugged indifferently. 'I know Sirius.'

To say Remus was shocked was an understatement; he couldn't believe what he was hearing. The Time Turner, the course of history changing, Lily and James, Sirius and his secrets...

'But let us not forget what you've made Sirius. Has Rose mentioned anything about it?' Albus said, smoothly changing the subject. He barely seemed fazed by the way Sirius had spoken to him.

He nodded slowly. 'Yes. It hurt her earlier. My emotions ... they were strong, 'cos you know ... we were about to ... anyway, she flinched, it burnt her I think. Only ... it's so cold, I'm surprised it could burn her.'

Albus nodded, standing up and reaching over to take something from his drawer. It was the penseive. The same one he shrunk and put in an envelope for Sirius a few months ago. Albus set it on the coffee table and looked up at Sirius. The handsome young man stared stonily back.

'Just leave Sirius, if you're going to act like an immature insolent child. I'm here to help you. I can't help you if you won't let me.'

Sirius clenched his teeth and balled his fists but after a moment, exhaled and calmed right down. He pulled his wand out from his pocket and pressed it to his temple. A strand of silvery white substance flowed from the tip, connected to his temple and to his wand. Then Sirius walked over to the basin and dropped the strand in.

Albus gave the penseive a little jiggle and stirred it with his wand. Then he gestured for Sirius to jump in first. Remus, forgetting why he was here, scrambled to his feet and stood right behind his friend. As soon as both men were in, he dived after them.

And what Remus saw was not what he expected.

* * *

**A/N:** what d'ya think?

Remember this is a sequel, first part called His Two Paths.


	3. Betrayal

**A/N:** Sorry for taking so long with this chapter; I'm thrilled with the response I've been receiving! This chapter is dedicated to all of those who have reviewed the previous chapter; **brandini861, life1428, Jelly Babes 101, nellekeduf and hufflepuffloveforever.x**

I'd also like to thank EVERYONE who followed this story, please leave a review and tell me what you think!

Cheers!

* * *

_xoxo_

_3. Betrayal_

With his Invisibility Cloak wrapped tightly around him, Remus straightened up and analysed the scene before him.

What he saw was not what he expected to see. Remus wasn't exactly sure what he expected to see; maybe a memory of Dumbledore inside the Department of Mysteries, stealing a Time Turner to present to Sirius. Or maybe even Sirius _finding _the Time Turner and using it.

Instead though, they appeared on a road ten minutes from the main high street of Diagon Alley. Sitting with his back to a brick wall, and looking utterly terrible, was one Sirius Black, and sitting a metre away was a second Sirius Black; looking better, healthier but so much sadder.

It was all so confusing, Remus could hardly think. They looked the same age, maybe twenty one.

'... so much to take in. What do I do?' the second version of Remus's friend said.

'I came back because I don't want you to be the reason they die...' this Sirius looked terrible; his clothes were a little muddy and rumpled; he had a five o'clock shadow and dark daunting eyes.

Remus couldn't see a trace of his best friend in those dead grey eyes. It scared him.

'It ... it was horrible.' The sad man continued. 'Harry survived, Harry _survives _... but Pron—' he stopped talking.

The rest for Remus passed in a blur. He could hardly think properly. So, Sirius changed time to make sure James and Lily survived, defying the very laws of magic and morality that the Order vowed themselves to follow.

All in the name of love. Sirius did this all for love.

'I'll be their secret keeper of course. I only trust myself for it. Now more than ever.'

_Okay, _Remus thought calmly, _I need to think logically. Dumbledore knew James and Lily were going to die; so he planted a Time Turner in Sirius's pocket. He went back in time to the thread of moments I belong to, and changed things. Then _my _Sirius followed the task set to him and became secret keeper, even though he was supposed to be secret keeper in the first place._

_And this whole time, Sirius continued to play along as though everything was fine. But in reality, he was a liar._

'... be the Sirius they know ...' the version, ten days older, said. So this was the Sirius that just came from Godric's Hollow? The one who supposedly found James and Lily dead.

The memory clouded over, filling their eyes with grey swirls and dots of black. Then Remus felt like he was flying. Flying upwards and shooting straight into the sky.

He fell to the floor of Dumbledore's quarters, gasping and shaking. The Invisibility Cloak slipped off him but he found he didn't care.

'_Remus!'_he heard his best friend shout in shock.

He got up off the floor and looked at them. He seemed to tower over both the Headmaster and his best friend. 'You've got,' Remus began in that level, scary voice of his, 'a lot of explaining to do.'

_xo_

Lily sat in the lounge, fanning herself with a newspaper. It didn't say anything new. Just the same stuff; columns on how Sirius was a sneak and a traitor, articles about Dumbledore's disappearance and more utter bullshit.

'I want another kid.' A voice said from beside her. Lily looked up. It was her annoying husband.

'What?' she asked.

'I said,' James explained in a rather bored voice, 'I want another kid. Maybe not right now but soon. Like ... as soon as possible really.'

Lily stretched on the large sofa and put her feet in his lap. Then she cocked an eyebrow. 'That didn't make any sense James. Besides, we can't try and have a baby during a war.' She said, watching as he picked up her feet and massaged them, even dropping a quick kiss to her ankle.

'We had Harry during this war that's still going on ... and he's turned out pretty good. Or, at least, I think he has. Besides Lils, we don't need to _try _for a baby. I can just ... you know ... _forget_ to put a condom on.'

Lily laughed as she tied her hair up in a messy bun. She watched her husband massage her feet. 'I'd love a child, you know I would ... but could we handle it ... could we _really _handle it?'

'I don't know.' James sighed. 'It would mean you'd have to stay at home all day—'

'Shove off,' Lily laughed, 'you're gonna be the one staying at home all day. _I'll _be out there wrestling Death Eaters and protecting Muggles and ... James?'

He was watching her with a small smile on his face.

'What?' she asked.

'I love you.' He told her. 'I mean I _really really _love you. I don't think I've ever loved someone so much. And when we beat Voldemort and everything goes back to normal, we'll have lots of kids and lots of money and we'll get to do _whatever_ we want. Have sex on top of a pyramid or sell cocaine to minors or—'

'James!' Lily cried, reaching over and grabbing her husband by his lapels. She pretended to glare at him before laughing and leaning forward to kiss him very hard. It was almost easy to forget they were in a lounge with a few of their friends sitting a bit away. It felt like it was just them. They kissed lazily for a while; he played with her feet and she played with his lips, bathing in the romantic atmosphere surrounding them.

If someone had told Lily six years ago she'd be married to James with a son and blissfully in love, she would have laughed in their face. But here it was; she was married and in love. It felt good. James made her feel good; after years of taunting and arguing and begging and rebuffing, they were finally together. And maybe it was just Lily, but she thought they suited rather fantastically.

'How many d'you want?' she asked him when they broke apart, stroking his jaw and staring into his ferocious hazel eyes.

He was quite for a moment, satisfying himself with peppering small kisses on her chin and her cheek. 'Hmm ... four. I say four because I grew up an only child and it wasn't something I liked much.' James explained to her, kissing the tip of her small elegant nose.

Lily's eyes widened when she saw no trace of joking or teasing on her husband's face. 'Really?'

James hummed and nodded. 'Yep, I'm serious as McGonagall during one of her lectures. I want four at the very least.'

His wife's face turned red, redder than a tomato. 'I can't push _three more babies _out of me!' she shrieked. James sent her an alarmed sigh.

'Sure you can, it can't be that hard.' And thus, James absolutely ruined the atmosphere. From teasing, to romantic to murderous; the murderous emotion being from Lily.

'_It can't be that hard? It can't be that hard?_' she cried, getting off of her husband's lap and straightening up. She fixed him with an angry glare. 'ALICE!' Lily cried.

From across the room, Alice looked up from where she was seated in her husband's lap, both of them patting her flat stomach. 'Yeah, Lils?' she asked.

'How can James just say to me giving birth can't be that hard!' Lily shouted furiously. Beside Alice, Frank was wincing.

'Ooh, you should not have said that mate.' Frank mock-whispered to James, shaking his head and biting his lip to stop from laughing.

'What? Isn't it just like taking a really big dump?'

Everyone looked up. _Everyone. _Even the pair of seventh years in the corner snogging. And James realised just how much trouble he really was in. He jumped up before Lily could hit him, pressed a quick kiss to her lips before he bolted out of the room.

He _probably _wasn't going to get any action tonight. Ah well, James was bored. _May as well go find the others,_ he thought.

_xo _

'Let me explain—'

Remus was hysterical, and Sirius was no closer to calming his friend down than he had been five minutes ago.

'... could you? How _could _you Sirius? I ... I ...'

'_Just let me explain! Please! _Remus, please! Just let me explain to you what I did, why I did what I did, let me just tell you the whole story and if you still want to tell everyone ...'

Albus was pacing the room, furiously trying to think a solution up and failing miserably. There was _one _thing he could try. But Sirius wouldn't allow him.

'They ... they're meant to be _dead? _They're not supposed to be alive? You cheated them? You cheated death?'

'JUST LET ME TALK!' Sirius bellowed, turning an angry glare to his best friend. 'Just let me talk! All I want to do is talk!'

Remus opened and closed his mouth before sitting back down on the sofa and burying his face in his hands. He was shaking with such fury and lividness. It worried Sirius a little bit.

'I didn't do it because they died. I did it because I made a mistake. And when I _undid _the mistake Remus, I undid their deaths...'

'How ... how is that _not _like saving them on purpose? You knew that they'd survive if you travelled back in time? You deliberately changed everything! They're supposed to be _dead!_'

'No they're not!' Sirius snapped, turning so he wasn't looking at his best friend anymore. He was so angry, so hurt by Remus's reaction. But what did he expect? A hug and a pat on the head? Maybe not. But Sirius hadn't expected his best friend to treat him with hostility; James and Lily were alive.

'If they were supposed to be dead, than correctly fixing my mistake wouldn't have done anything. Death would have gone out in search for other ways to claim them; murder, a bomb, accidental magic...'

'I— how does this relate to anything? How does this relate to you lying to your friends and doing things that aren't right?' Remus spat, an ugly expression flickering across his face.

Sighing and looking up at Albus, he felt a surge of courage rush into him. He hadn't done anything wrong; he'd only just cheated Time and the Angel of Death and all the other powers higher than human civilisation. 'If you'd just let me finish.' Sirius replied quietly.

The werewolf grunted, signalling Sirius to continue speaking. 'I did want to tell you, maybe not James but I wanted to tell you. But Albus said I couldn't. He said it would mess everything up. I mean I could barely cope with having that sort of information on my shoulders, I didn't want to place it on your shoulders too!'

'The mistake,' Remus hissed through clenched teeth, 'what was it?'

Sirius swallowed. 'Letting Peter be the secret keeper for James and Lily.'

'That Order meeting...' Remus gasped, lifting his head to look Sirius in the eye. 'Okay.' He said in a hoarse, distant voice. 'Explain Sirius. And please don't try to lie to me.' He said the last sentence very slowly and very carefully.

Sirius ran a hand through his hair, sighing shakily. He nodded to himself and took a seat beside his _best _friend. Remus flinched.

Sirius's jaw dropped open. _Did he just flinch? _His lower lip trembled and his expression became one of horror and shock. Trying to swallow past the lump in his throat, Sirius opened his mouth. 'I won't.'

Conjuring a bottle from the cupboard across the room, Sirius pulled the stopper off and gulped hungrily before passing the bottle to his friend and watching the magicked window with curiosity. It was stormy outside; fitting his mood perfectly.

How could things turn so horrible? From an amazing hour with Rose to an argument with Dumbledore, and now _this? _Remus wouldn't even look at him.

'It was the morning I came into Diagon Alley to get Harry a Halloween present. I could tell he needed cheering up; things had been so serious at the Potter Manor. I saw him sitting at the spot where I usually pick up drugs or park my car. He was so _sad._ I knew he was me because I tested him; I made him transform and he did. And the wand he had ... it was _my _wand.

'He explained to me that he was the reason Lily and James die, he told me that he was supposed to be the secret keeper but instead, he comes up with the plan to make Peter the secret keeper. I'd been about to propose that suggestion to James and Lily myself. He told me how Peter was the traitor, and barely a week after the spell, the Fidelius Charm, is cast, Peter betrays them to Voldemort.

'I couldn't quite believe it. I refused to believe future-me. But what could make me so _sad? _Nothing! I've never had such an expression on my face before. It was like he was _dying, _Remus! And I knew only something so terrible could make me so sad! He _begged _me. He begged me to become the secret keeper, to scrap the plan I had thought up; the plan of pretending to be the secret keeper when Peter was really going to be it. I knew I had to.'

Sirius paused to drink some more of the whiskey, wiping his lips and setting the bottle down. It was so hot, like he was in an oven. _Why was it so hot?_ He took off his top, ignoring the rather large love bite on his chest, and resting his elbows on his thighs.

'Future-me explained how Lily and James died, how Prongs died first, how Harry survived. And I don't want to be the reason my god-son grows up an orphan, I can't—'

'What?' Remus breathed, ears perking up and his whole demeanour changing. 'Pronglet survived?' he asked. 'He survived? H-how?'

'I ... I don't _know! _Something to do with Lily—'

'A protection.' Albus interrupted, turning around to face both men. 'Lily died to protect Harry and that's why he survives.'

'_Survived! _Not "survives".' Sirius snapped impatiently. 'I changed everything. I _ruined _everything.'

'Oh no, Sirius. _Survives _is exactly what I meant. You see, Time is a fragile thing. You're forgetting that every minute that passes; a Sirius somewhere in the universe is making a different decision. There are Siriuses out there who were Slytherins, Siriuses out there without sons, Siriuses out there who are rotting away in Azkaban right now for betraying the Potters when we all know you would never do.'

The handsome man paled and looked up, sipping his whiskey and growling. 'I don't understand.'

Albus sighed and turned to face him fully, opening his arms in a comforting gesture.

'I mean, Sirius, that you are one of the billion choices out there. Your fate is different in every parallel world. In some you've done the exact same and in others, you've done so differently. Harry survived in this world, but in others, he didn't. And in others, he was never even born.'

Running a hand over his face, Remus shook his head. 'This is so much ... to wrap my head around.'

'I know.' Albus said softly, coming to stand in front of the werewolf and pat his head sympathetically. 'But you need to remember Remus; none of this is Sirius's fault. _I _gave him the Time Turner, I'm the reason this has all happened.'

'Why?' Sirius asked in an anguished voice. 'Why would you _burden _me with this? Look how much is riding on me!'

Albus nodded. 'I know, Sirius. And I'm so sorry. But I have another confession to make. What do you remember of the Time Turner the future-you had?'

There was a pause; the room was so quiet a pin dropping could be heard. Sirius exhaled heavily. 'He put it on and went back to his time.'

'But there's another one. You sensed it. You sensed there was another Time Turner in your power; maybe not physically but you sensed there was a Time Turner present that would only work for you.' Albus sounded very grave. He also looked a little shame-faced.

'Yes.' The younger man's voice was barely above a whisper.

'I put one in your safe. The safe in your bedroom. It _only _works for you. It's yours. I'm sorry.'

Sirius stood up and clenched his fists. He looked tempted to punch Professor Dumbledore right in the face. 'Why would you do this to me? Why would you put so much power in my hands?'

'Don't you remember that conversation we had? About power. About how well suited you are for it?'

_x_

_'I'm not like you Sirius. I never grew up surrounded by power. Your family are one of the seven originals from London, the greatest magical capital of Europe. Your family are also one of the wealthiest, and hold such prestige. You don't find power interesting. Which is why you would be suited well for it.'_

_Sirius almost laughed. 'Me? Yeah right Professor. Remus says on the best of days, my maturity matches that of a nine year old. On the best days.'_

_'Oh but you would! Money doesn't interest you, nor does a good family name or an impeccable reputation.'_

_'How does this have anything to do with the Time Turner?' Sirius huffed in answer._

_'I have never used a Time Turner, though I have been in the presence one too many times. I have never used one because I don't want to tempt myself, tempt myself to turn back time and wrong all my rights. But you Sirius, you are unique and very special. You wouldn't stop your past self from telling Mr Snape how to get into the Whomping Willow. You wouldn't even use it to save Regulus. The only thing you would use it for is to save the future!'_

_o_

'Yes,' Sirius breathed. 'You said I'm well suited for power. For the Time Turner. But I'm _not._ You've given me too much of a responsibility! I can't Professor, I can't...'

'Seems to me you've done a good job already.' Remus interjected, talking without thinking; something he did not often do.

He turned to face his friend, already sensing the millions of apologies racing through Sirius's head, ready to burst out. 'I can't believe you lied to them,' the werewolf breathed. 'You even lied to me, and you never lie to me! I'm your best friend; you tell me more secrets than you do Prongs!'

'This was the _one thing _Moony, the one thing I couldn't tell you.' He replied softly. 'It could have ruined _everything! _And I care about them so much, I love them so much.'

'So do I!' the other man snapped impatiently. 'This isn't something I'd let go of. This is a secret I'd die for, something that could ruin their lives. I thought you trusted me.'

'You can't tell anyone. I do trust you Moony, I do, of course I do. After everything you've done for me. You saved my life, back in the Forbidden Forest ... with Voldemort ... when I almost died. You saved me and I owe you so much. But _please ... _no one can know.'

Remus covered his face with his hands, exhaling heavily and standing up. He took the whiskey from Sirius's hands and took a swig. Then he turned to Professor Dumbledore. 'Can I go?'

Albus raised an eyebrow. 'Only if you promise not to tell anyone Remus. Don't think I won't hesitate to erase your memory.' The ex Headmaster had never sounded so menacing before.

The tawny haired man, after a long moment, nodded. 'It'll hurt them, break them even. And I couldn't do that to them. I care about them too much. What's done is done, right?'

Albus stroked his beard, smiling after hesitating. 'Yes, what's done is done. But it could be _un_done, you know. Especially with the Time Turner hidden in Sirius's home. We need to get it as soon as possible. Every day that passes is a day a Death Eater or the Dark lord could find it. And the Time Turner isn't like most, it's special. You know that Sirius.'

The handsome man was running his hands through his glossy hair. He nodded. 'I know. We'll get it soon. But I don't know how I'll be able to get it. I'm "dead" aren't I?' Whilst he was talking, Sirius's eyes were flickering around the room. His eyes landed on a book sitting a few metres away under an empty brandy glass.

Sirius crept towards it and picked up the book. It was a magical autobiography. The woman on the front was in her thirties, with only a few wrinkles marring her pale forehead. She had beach blonde hair disappearing down the portrait picture, and her eyes were twinkling. _My Life, _it read, _by Madison Jeffrey._

'So this is her?'

'Yes.'

Sirius turned the book over, reading the blurb. 'Why've you got this?'

'That's another story for another time. Would you like to stay behind, Sirius?' Albus asked, his voice suddenly very kind and sympathetic.

Sirius turned to look curiously at Remus, whose eyes were facing anywhere but the spot he stood. He shook his head. 'No, no it's fine. I think I'll go back. They'll start wondering where I am.'

'Where we both are.' Remus corrected, and without another word, he fled from the room, closing the door behind him.

Sirius turned his frightened eyes to Dumbledore. 'Professor,' he murmured, 'what do we do?'

_xo_

'I think it's a poor imitation of the sky,' Remus mumbled, on his back admiring the stars and the moon. It was almost a full. He was so scared.

'Why?' a voice breathed quietly.

The room was the only room in the whole underground base of its kind; it was charmed to mirror outside. And right now they could smell the wind and feel the grass under their feet. But it was all an illusion. That's what, for Remus, made it so beautiful.

'The moon doesn't look at all frightening.' Remus replied, smoothing his tawny gold hair backwards.

Sirius smiled beside him, rolling over so he was on his stomach. He looked around. 'I'm so sorry.' He said in a voice so sincere, it sounded like he might start crying at any moment.

'You should be. This isn't a petty prank, Padfoot; this isn't a joke or something that could be reversed. This is their lives! You're not God; you can't go 'round playing God. And that's just what you've done.'

Sirius felt tempted to argue that Dumbledore was the one who gave him the Time Turners, the one who set him up for this, rehearsed lines to try and pressure Sirius into becoming secret keeper covertly, and most importantly, Sirius wanted to remind Remus that he never travelled back in time. He was innocent. Or as innocent as someone could be in the situation.

But instead, he just shrugged. 'I'd fight God for their lives.'

'Hmm, I don't know if you'd win Padfoot. You might get distracted by all the shiny surfaces in heaven,' a voice added from behind them. They turned to see James walking over, Harry asleep in his arms and a bruise on his lip. He was grinning though.

'And why would the fight be in heaven? Wouldn't it be more fitting for us to battle in purgatory?'

'Big words,' James gagged, 'hurt my head.'

Sirius smiled, budging up to let his friend fill the space on his left. Remus lay on his right, silent as night and just as daunting.

'I'm sorry.' He whispered, only for his friend's ears. When he felt the werewolf move beside him, Sirius sighed. 'I'm so sorry.'

'Sorry for what?' James asked curiously, readjusting Harry carefully. Maybe he hadn't been as quiet as he wanted to be.

Remus shook his head. 'We just got in a bit of a row. But it doesn't matter James, you don't always need to know everything.' He couldn't bring himself to look at his friend. _If not for Sirius and his Time Turner, James would be dead._

_He would be dead. He wouldn't be here right now._

_Gone._

James flinched. 'What's tuggin' on your hair this morning, Moons?'

The question hung in the air, the tension building until it was so thick, Sirius was sure even an axe couldn't cut through it.

'I have something to tell you guys,' Sirius said after a while of stargazing and brooding. When he was sure he had their attention, he smiled tightly. 'We're gonna be out soon.'

'What?' both men asked, one in an excited voice and the other in a disbelieving one.

Sirius was bouncing on the soft ground, a smile coating his gorgeous face. 'I was thinking about it. What are we doing here? What am _I _doing here? Sitting here, sleeping here, eating here, _hiding _here! I can't stand it guys. We need to go. I have a plan, I mean, it needs to be executed at the right time, but we need to get out of here. It's like a prison! Where we do everything Dumbledore wants and everything Dumbledore thinks we should do!'

He stood up, bare feet seductively slipping through the grass; like a silky caress. 'What I mean is, I've had enough of hiding. I hid when I was secret keeper, Voldemort hid me from you guys at Malfoy's, I hid in Godric Hollow, and now I'm hiding here. But that's not how you save lives; you save lives by going out there and fighting.'

'They think you're dead.' Remus said in a hard voice.

'They won't for long. Sooner or later,' James interjected, shifting his son once again in his arms after dropping a brief kiss to his forehead, 'they're going to find out Sirius is alive. And I'd rather it sooner whilst we're doing something than later whilst we've achieved nothing.'

'Amen.'

_xo_

'I'm scared, Daddy,' whispered a small blonde girl. Her Father held her as tight as he could. 'I'm so sorry,' he sobbed, kissing her hair and clutching her tighter to himself. 'But your Mother, she'll take care of you! She'll take care of all of you until I come back. I _promise _I'll come back darling, I would never—'

'Time's up.' A cold, detached voice said.

'NOOOOO!' Henry's wife cried. 'NO HENRY, NO! Please! _Please! _Have mercy, PLEASE!' she screamed, her eighteen month old son dozing in her arms. But the Death Eaters came anyway. They grabbed her husband, holding him tight to prevent the struggles he was sure to explode into.

Henry's wife's screams took to a new level; piercing the ears of everyone around. She was a young, dainty thing. With beautiful eyes and beach blonde hair, she was startlingly gorgeous. But the snot dribbling down her nose and the smudged makeup cascading to her cheeks cancelled out the beauty and instead sparked a sort of fire within anyone watching her.

'WHAT IF I COULD HELP YOU?' she cried. 'Please! Please! I'm pregnant; I can't handle three kids alone. _Please!_'

'I TOLD YOU NO, KATIE!' Henry roared, his struggles ceasing. They were in the Blood Purification Test Department, and Henry was a "Mudblood". He wasn't going to leave tonight. Unless...

'What is it, lady?' spat the closest Death Eater, not bothering to wear a mask. It turned out the Death Eater in question was Bellatrix Lestrange, a mixture of madness and insanity and beauty. She was a frightening thing. 'We haven't got time. We have fifteen other people to "examine" ...' her laughter when she said the word "examine" revealed the madness within her.

Katie shivered, ignoring her husband's protests. 'Hush, Henry. This is the only way to—'

'And _they're _the only way! They're the only way we can survive; the only way we can stand a chance to win in this war!'

The children had started crying, and Katie's five year old daughter was clutching onto her clothing, sobbing and begging her Mother to get the "mad woman" away.

'What if I could tell you about the rumours I heard? About where the Order of the Phoenix is? What if I could tell you that they're in Wales right now? What if I told you? Would you let my husband go?' Katie panted, eyes wide and beautiful and frightened?

Bellatrix's wand clattered to the floor. Her eyes were wide; her face was ecstatic. She smiled a slow smile. Then she broke out into a radiant grin. She bent down and retrieved her wand, holding it up.

'You have thirty seconds to tell me everything you heard. And I might just let your husband go.'

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**A/N:** Please leave a review!


	4. The Warning

**A/N:** This chapter's got a lot more action than the previous few :)

Cheers for all the incredible reviews on the previous chapter, I really appreciate it! I've replied to all of them; PMs are working properly now :D

* * *

_xoxo_

_4. The Warning_

Henry's wife, Katie, was not the smartest woman. In Hogwarts, she had been a Hufflepuff, and though being a Hufflepuff didn't mean you were dumb, instead it just meant that for Katie especially, things like friendship and loyalty mattered most. In her OWLs, she hadn't received any Outstandings, barely managing to scrape an Exceeds Expectations in her Charms OWL. And in her NEWTs, Katie hadn't received any Outstandings _or _Exceeds Expectations.

Her job had been in a children's nursery for young witches and wizards. And when Katie had met her husband, she quit her job and opted to stay at home and be a good little submissive housewife; doing the chores, cleaning, making love to him...

But Henry, sitting there before his wife, was more than surprised. She was ferocious, she was bold and she was someone entirely different. If he was honest, in any other different situation, seeing this side of Katie would have been an enormous turn on.

But they weren't in a different situation. They were fighting for their lives; their lives or the lives of others? The lives of potentially dozens: Aurors, teachers, students, Order of the Phoenix members ... everyone who could _do _something and make a difference.

Henry didn't know what he could do, what he could even say. He remembered Sirius Black, James Potter, Remus Lupin and vaguely Peter Pettigrew back from his Hogwarts days. He had been in his final year when they themselves had been in their second. And more than once Henry had witnessed some spectacle or another caused by the impulsive, childish Gryffindors.

Strutting around in the enclosed room was none other than Sirius Black's cousin, but Henry didn't remember her name. He remembered her face though; of course he did. It had been plastered all over the Daily Prophet, the newspaper he _worked _for! Of course, Henry didn't remember much about her case from a year ago; he wrote for the Sports and Leisure section of the popular newspaper.

He gulped, watching his wife on the other side of the room; arms empty of children and face still streaming with tears.

'—every single thing you remember, Katie, or your husband dies. And we have your children to. Don't forget the fact that we have your children.'

Katie gulped and nodded. 'I just want you to let my husband go, nothing else.'

The radiant woman nodded. Then she smiled. 'You tell me where my dead cousin's friends are, and I'll make sure nothing harms you or your family for the rest of this war.'

Katie looked down, playing with her fingers and breathing deeply in and out. Then she looked up, and that ferocious, fiery expression flickered across her face.

_That's my girl!_ Henry thought.

'W-we have lots of family in Wales ...' Katie said softly.

And so it began; she explained, in as much detail as she could, what she knew. And _boy _did she explain every single little thing.

Till not a detail lay hidden from Bellatrix.

_xo_

'REMUS!' Sirius bellowed, poking his head in the kitchen. He looked around the enormous space. But he couldn't see his friend. He did however, see Peter, who was holding a kicking and screaming Harry whilst Lily tried to dress him.

Apparently Harry thought it was appropriate to go streaking through the lounge. Sirius winked at his godson, who, in response, grinned. 'Any of you seen Moony?' the handsome man asked.

Lily huffed and turned to face her husband's best friend. She shook her head. 'No, why?'

'Medina's looking for him. It's time to drink the potion she made for tomorrow's full moon.' Although Remus would be able to keep his mind, James and Sirius still intended to accompany their friend and play with him. Moony loved them. And they loved Moony. Besides, how else were they going to take his mind off the pain of transforming into a raging beast?

'See if he's with Prongs. He's been spending a lot of time with him recently.' Peter said, looking back down at the now still child in his arms. Peter would never say it aloud, but he loved how accepted he was in the Marauder family. He had never felt so ... so free before. He felt like they now truly appreciated him and everything he stood for.

'Alright, thanks Wormtail,' Sirius said before ducking back out of the kitchen. He walked into his girlfriend and quickly avoided squashing her, pulling them both back off the ground and ruffling her hair.

'You could pass for a guy,' Sirius commented lightly, laughing when she stomped on his foot.

'You weren't saying that yesterday.' Rose retorted, sticking her tongue out and loftily looking away. Then she danced off in the other direction. Sirius shrugged and took back off to where he hoped Remus and James would be. They used the Reflection Room more than anyone else; even more than Sirius.

And he had so much to reflect on...

He opened the door, sticking his head in and smiling when he saw them. His two best friends. Remus saw him, but he shushed his friend and crept up, transforming mid-stride. With his long stretched pink tongue hanging out and his fur rustling in the light breeze, Padfoot padded across charmed grass until he was hovering right beside the bespectacled Marauder.

Sending Remus a wolfish grin, Padfoot started to pee.

It took a few seconds for the bespectacled man to even notice. But when he did... 'EW! EW EW! YOU STUPID FUCKING—' James cried, jumping up and looking down at the wet patch on his top. He shrugged the top off and started gagging, but not before sending a sharp kick to the dog Animagus.

Sirius transformed again, clutching his abdomen and laughing whilst tears of pain welled in his eyes. '—God, your face ...' he panted, 'like you'd seen a devil!'

He was silenced when James kicked him even harder. But this time, Sirius was ready for it. He grabbed a hold of his friend's foot and pulled as hard as he could. Remus laughed, watching the wrestling match and grinning. After a few minutes, both young men grew tired and satisfied themselves with conjuring drinks from the kitchen and enjoying the air.

The room was, after all, charmed to reflect outside's temperature and it was still a handsome summer. Sirius wished he could feel the air for real, he was sick of being locked underground in the old Auror base. He wasn't allowed out at _all _and it was taking a toll on him. But he knew he'd have his moment soon; his moment to fight.

He sat down, running a hand through his messy black locks and smiling at his friends. He frowned when Remus looked away all too quickly. 'So,' James started, 'why did you interrupt mine and Moony's date?'

Sirius grinned. 'I ... I ... I forgot. Oh no! I remember! Basically, Medina wants you Remus—'

'Of course she does, look at him—'

'Thanks Prongs,' Remus replied blandly, but not before letting a smile slip, 'I'm really reassured by your sexuality now. Does she wanna talk about the potion Padfoot? Hmm ... I thought so, okay, thanks.'

James laughed and fell back, smiling to himself. He yawned and watched as the tall werewolf left the room. The air spun the leaves, lifting them and catapulting them across the room. 'He seems different ... ever since your argument. Still not gonna tell me what it was about?'

Sirius closed his mouth and shook his head. 'It's none of your business. Anyway, you still on for supervising him tomorrow?'

'Of course. Since when do I ever give up a chance to play with Moony? And it's not like Remus is going to spend the night with the werewolves or something. He's spending it with us, just us Marauders. We'll have to sneak you out of course. You heard Dumbledore.'

Sirius nodded. They revelled in the laziness of just lying and relaxing. After about ten minutes, Sirius started speaking again. 'I hate how they're controlling my life ... every little thing I do...'

'What d'you expect? They think you can kill Voldemort. It sort of makes you our secret weapon; secret in every sense of the word.' Whilst James had been talking, his hand had fluttered to his pocket where the Time Turner was. He always carried it on himself, worried that someone might find it or take it just like he had done.

_Shall I tell him? _James thought. _Shall I tell him and hope he doesn't get upset?_

_But what about if you need to use it?_ A different voice said._ If they know about the Time Turner, then you won't ever be able to use it. You won't be able to make sure your family stay alive..._

The mental argument taking place inside James's head was interrupted when Remus hurried back into the room, shivering. He gagged, sitting back down and taking James's drink. 'That potion tastes like shit.' He moaned, draining the glass. 'And don't worry, none of the werewolves suspect anything about you guys being Animagi or whatever. They just think I want to spend the night with you guys.'

Sirius fell back on the grass, stretching his lithe and elegant body out. Then he turned over on his stomach and grinned at them. 'I can't wait. I've been locked up here for months. I just ... I just want to get out.'

Remus looked at him properly for the first time in days, eyes a fierce and glowing gold; he had stunning eyes. 'You will get out. We will. Tomorrow.'

_xo_

Bellatrix apparated right outside the Malfoy Manor door. Her striking dark eyes were alive with excitement. She threw the door open with a quick incantation and strutted to the main lounge where a meeting was currently taking place.

'Sorry I'm late, my Lord,' she breathed, bowing down. When Bellatrix looked back up and brushed her long black hair from her face, she broke into a grin. 'I was with a witch and her Mudblood husband. They were telling me about some rumours, some very _true _rumours.'

Everyone was watching the mad witch, some eyed her cautiously whereas others watched her enviously; the Dark Lord however waited patiently. 'And what, Bella, was more important than this meeting?'

She broke into a radiant and rather gorgeous grin, throwing her head back and laughing. 'I know where the Order of the Phoenix is hiding. I know where we can get them.'

_xo_

It was full moon. The sky was beautiful; the gold slipping away to be replaced by a gentle blue. Moonrise was in over an hour, enough time for the werewolves and Marauders to get away from the old Aurors training base and find somewhere remote to play around in. The only problem was getting _Sirius _out.

Still, no one knew about James's cloak. And Dumbledore was off doing important work. The old Headmaster never elaborated as to what exactly he was doing, but it always seemed to be something. Sirius had heard one of Snape's patronuses leaving yesterday, at the beginning of a meeting between the handsome pureblood and the Headmaster. He suspected that whatever business Albus Dumbledore was getting up to, it included Snape.

'Every drop, Remus John Lupin!' Medina scolded him, holding the goblet. When Remus made a face, she grabbed him by the back of his head and brought the goblet up to his lips. Sirius smiled softly at his best friend; it seemed like he really cared for the slightly older and incredibly pretty female werewolf.

When the goblet was empty, Remus shivered and gagged, sticking his tongue out and making a horrified face. 'This better be worth it,' he told her, shaking his head.

'Trust me,' she said, 'it is.'

They smiled at each other, but then she stood straighter and frowned. 'I can feel it,' Medina explained, 'Moonrise isn't too far away. We should go. Are you spending the night with your friends?'

He nodded. 'I owe it to them. But next full moon...'

She smiled. 'Of course. You better leave soon then. Try to get as far away as you can. It shouldn't be too hard; the Apparation Licenses were given back in Wales.'

'It was on the WWN,' James interjected, can of beer in one hand and a sock in the other. 'Wales had a referendum or something. Voldemort'll sort it all out soon though.' He said plainly, shaking his head.

'Still,' Remus said. 'We can use it to our advantage. Come on, why don't you, me and Wormtail start to get ready now?'

Lily stood up, handing over a small pouch filled with Dittany and bandages. 'Just in case,' she whispered, leaning over to peck Remus's cheek. 'I've got your daughter and my son down for a nap. Don't worry, she's in safe hands.' Lily said to Medina, who broke into a smile.

'Thank you Lily.' She said before leaving the room, no doubt to steal a last kiss from her daughter before she left to transform.

'Come 'ere then,' James called, beckoning Lily over and pouting. She grudgingly glared at her husband, before leaning over to press her lips to his, drawing out a long sweet kiss. They split up, slightly more aroused than they would have liked to be, before parting ways.

'Where's Black?' Moody growled, coming into the room with Frank on one side and Dedalus on the other. He was frowning deeply when he couldn't see Sirius. 'You heard Dumbledore's patronus, he's staying behind!'

'Don't worry Moody! He and Rose are up in their room.' James mock-whispered, 'You know,' he said, 'having sex.'

Sirius and Rose weren't having sex at all, nothing like it in fact. Sirius was changing his son's nappy and trying to explain to Rose why she couldn't leave the room, not until he came back at least.

'What if I put on a Disillusionment Charm?' she asked.

'If you even can.' Sirius loftily told her, looking back down at his son. 'But really Rose, it'll just ruin everything. Remember to lock the room and if someone knocks on the door, just make out like we're having sex.'

'You owe me.' She said.

He smiled at her. It was strained and not at all real. But that didn't matter. He loved her. He wasn't sure if he loved her more or less than before, but he still loved her.

'I just haven't been out in ages Rose. I just want the chance to run around and play with the Marauders. I'll be back safe, I promise.'

Rose looked at her watch. 'Well, you better put the cloak on and get down to meet Moony and the others. Have fun. And stay safe Sirius!'

He kissed her forehead and nodded. 'Of course,' he replied, letting her comb a hand through his tousled black locks. With twinkling silver eyes, he kissed his son and threw James's Invisibility Cloak over his shoulders, covering his body from the rest of the world. 'I'll see you tomorrow.'

Sirius was as quiet as he could be, sneaking out of the room. He met James and Remus and Peter where they arranged, and then they were going through layers of charms and reinforcements and tests to determine whether they really were on the side of the Order. Even though Sirius was concealed, he was still in the Order. The charms accepted him.

Entering a room that was almost like a pathway to the outside world, James beckoned the other Marauders over and said in a hushed voice, 'Keep the cloak on Sirius, I think the others are coming right now.'

James whispered a spell Dumbledore himself had created, throwing open the backdoor and revealing some steps. The Marauders hurried up them, Sirius tripping on the cloak and swearing rather loudly.

'Sorry,' he whispered when Peter beside him started laughing. Wales was something else entirely; it was peaceful, but like all countries it had an ugly side. So far, the Marauders hadn't yet seen the ugly side. The Auror training base was in the middle of a very large and very spacious forest, with different types of trees and with very few visitors. The perfect place to run around and have fun.

'Let's apparate as far away from here as we can.' Remus said. He held out his hands, and when the cloak was safely stuffed into James's rucksack, they joined hands and disapparated with a resonating crack. It tore through the air like a gunshot, but no one was close enough to hear.

They smacked down, Sirius wobbling dangerously. But before any of them could even comprehend what was going on, he ripped his shoes off, tied his hair up and transformed. It was always fun watching Sirius transform. Sometimes his head was what changed first, whereas other times he grew incredibly hairy first.

Padfoot started bounding around, long pale tongue rolling out of his mouth and his gorgeous grey eyes twinkling.

James and Remus sat down, preparing for moonrise: they watched Sirius trot around, shooting off with incredible speed, showing off some doggy tricks and having _fun._ He bound around with an enormous doggy grin and leapt past them, but not before licking James's cheek thoroughly

'How can I stay mad at him when he acts like this?' Remus murmured to himself. He watched with a fond smile as Padfoot's foot got tangled up in a web of tangled branches, and he furiously fought to get himself out.

'Why're you mad at him?' James asked, watching as Wormtail hurried to the rescue, chewing the branches to help Sirius get out.

Remus rested his forehead on his knee and sighed heavily. The sky was dark blue now, and he knew he should start taking his clothes off and putting them in James's modified bag. Lily was really quite good at Undetectable Extension Charms.

As he untied his shoelaces, Remus turned to face James. 'It's not _what _I'm annoyed with him about; it's just how he approached the whole matter. Though now I think about it, I would've done the exact same thing as him. In the end, what's done is done, right?'

When he stood up to unbutton his shirt, James bit his lip. He suspected Remus was talking more to himself than to James. 'I can hardly understand what you mean. But like you said earlier, it's none of my business.'

Remus took his time with taking the clothes off, trying to draw out the process for as long as he could. He wasn't self-conscious around the Marauders, not in the slightest. He'd known them for over ten years; they had all seen each other's bits and bobs. Standing nude and proud, Remus closed his eyes and waited.

'This one's gonna hurt,' he breathed to himself.

After exactly a hundred and fifteen seconds a piercing shriek ripped through the air. It was heartbreaking to watch a naked Remus writhing on the floor: his eyes grew wider; blood was pouring out of his nose as it snapped and started to reshape; claws pierced their way from his elongated wolfish paws – every inch of him burned with pain as he started to transform into a wolf.

The stag, the dog and the rat waited patiently for Moony's last tremors to subside. They waited; anticipation thick and choking in the air. Then the werewolf rose; reincarnated for the night.

Or not.

They could immediately tell it was Remus in control of the wolf, and not Moony. The eyes were missing their usual anger and hatred and frustration, instead being replaced with a curiosity and a naked vulnerability.

It was a silent night, thick with tension. They played or watched patiently as Moony explored and investigated his own body and the forest around him. He howled as loud as he could, and shot off in different directions, luring Padfoot into playing a violent game of tag. Despite the fact that it was _Remus _in control, he was rough with the dog Animagus, though nowhere near as rough as Moony usually was.

James watched the wolf roughhousing Sirius, lifting him and pinning him to the forest ground. Moony was a very beautiful creature; he was thin and long, with golden fur and thick but lithe muscles.

Padfoot transformed back into his human form, wincing and limping over to the pouch where he got out the Dittany. 'This bastard,' he said to the stag waiting by his side, 'is rough today. I'm gonna have to show him who's boss.' Sirius dripped two drops of the clear liquid and watched as the very deep cut on his leg healed instantly. Then he smiled and flickered back into Padfoot.

The dog let out a loud bark and disappeared from the clearing they currently were in, to the bundle of trees and bushes. Moony howled and followed after him.

The animals played and lounged around for hours, the rest of the night passing in a similar state, until James was sure moonrise was due in an hour or two.

The stag snickered when he watched Padfoot sneak out from underneath Moony and charge at him, only to be tossed to the side like a doll. The black dog let out a whine, licking at his wounds and barking angrily at the werewolf.

But the fun was interrupted. Leaving an injured but amused dog on the floor, Moony's head shot up. He sniffed the air. And then he froze.

James didn't need to be told twice; he turned back to his human form and pulled out his wand, hurrying over to Moony. He swallowed. 'Moony, Moony what is it?' he whispered.

Moony howled; his great jaw opening to let out a long and angry growl. The bespectacled Marauder was more than intimidated, standing beside the enormous werewolf and cowering underneath his piercing glare. But James understood enough.

'Is someone coming?' he breathed, waving his wand. '_Homenum Revelio!_' he hissed. A shimmer of soft light sifted from the tip of his brown wand and when it came back, James shook his head. 'No one's nearby Remus, not for a mile. Your senses are just picking up people from—'

He was interrupted when Moony started howling and bellowing, standing on his hind legs and towering over James.

'_HOMENUM REVELIO!_' the bespectacled Marauder cried, but then he roared in irritation when the spell came back negative. 'No one's here Moony, no one's—'

James was thrown to the side when his werewolf friend pushed him away, protecting his body from another creature, another beast trying ever so hard to get to James. This werewolf was different; it was shorter but thicker than Remus, and it had black fur instead of gold. His eyes were blazing like fire and his teeth were sharp and over an inch long.

James started trembling, his wand falling from his hands as he watched his best friend and the other werewolf fight, teeth and claws. The growls and howls they made turned James into a quivering mess. A dog started pushing him away from the scene, until they were twenty metres away. This werewolf wasn't one James recognised.

Sirius and Peter transformed simultaneously beside him. They winced at the noise resonating around them; of teeth clashing and blows landing. It was a fight fuelled by testosterone and anger and hatred. The foreign werewolf was trying as hard as he could to get to the humans, but Moony was protecting them as though his life depended on it.

'We need to go James; we need to get out of here!' Sirius breathed, grabbing his bespectacled friend by his lapels and dragging him to his feet. But James was frozen with shock, his eyes glued to the scene of two enormous wolves battling each other.

'W-w-w...' he could barely speak, his glasses fogging up with tears of fright. He'd never been so scared in his life, and James was partially surprised that he hadn't yet pissed his pants.

'Prongs,' Sirius hissed, 'Prongs, it's not someone from the pack. It's a foreign werewolf, Prongs! They haven't had the Wolfsbane potion, they're feral and rabid!' the handsome man was answered when the dark and furry werewolf howled in pain. 'I think it's Dolohov, it's got to be Dolohov!'

'H-h-how?' James breathed.

'When Moony bit him, in that fight back at Malfoy Manor, he got infected! I mean look at it! Look at the fur, look at the eyes!' Sirius shouted, pulling James as hard as he could. 'They know where we are! We need to get out of here! Dolohov could bite us, he could _change _us—'

The moon was sinking back down into the sky. And Dolohov was getting more and more ferocious. Whereas he had the raw animalistic brute strength that came with an unhinged and uncontrollable werewolf, Remus had his own mind; he had the power to control his strength.

Which meant that unfortunately, he didn't have the feral instinct Dolohov had. He was losing the fight.

But regardless, he tried as hard as he could to protect his friends. Remus loved them, and he'd be damned if he ever let Antonin Dolohov kill the people he loved.

As the moon sunk deeper and deeper into the horizon, the wolfish characteristics began to fade. But it wasn't like turning into a werewolf; turning back to your human form was just as agonising, if not more painful. And it took twice as long.

With teeth still an inch long and claws even longer, Dolohov, using some unknown technique he must have learnt from Greyback himself, managed to detach his body from Remus's and leap away.

Sirius, now in his dog form, was still trying to drag a frozen James away. Peter wasn't in a better state. But he seemed to snap back into reality when he saw Dolohov making his way towards them, his jaw shrinking and his teeth growing smaller, but the howl still chilling their bones.

Dolohov resembled more of a cheetah now, instead of a wolf; small and fast and sharp. He pounced.

Remus knew he was too late when Peter's scream ripped through the air. He threw Dolohov off, but his strength was waning. The last hour battling the new werewolf had been mentally and physically draining; he was injured and he was tired. But it didn't matter.

Peter could be _dying._

The rat Animagus was crying and shouting, writhing on the floor. He had a gash on his neck, at least two inches long and very deep.

'A message,' a deep and lupine voice hissed, 'from the Dark Lord. No one is forgotten. No one can hide.' His eyes flickered over a black dog, James Potter and Remus Lupin.

'No one.' Dolohov whispered. And then he disapparated with a loud crack.

Remus fell to the floor beside an unconscious Peter. He wrapped a hand onto the cut on the smaller man's neck and signalled James over. 'Get the Dittany,' he gasped, 'and a bandage.'

'They know where we are.' James whispered, handing over the small pouch Lily had given them earlier. 'Moony, they know where we are.'

'I know James.' Remus breathed, pouring drops of Dittany into Peter's wound. 'Pass me my clothes. We need to get Peter back, he ... he's lost so much blood...'

'Is he...' James asked quietly, looking over at Sirius, who was now human and searching for his wand.

'I don't know.'

'Could he be...?'

'I don't know James. Did he see you Sirius?'

Sirius cleared his throat loudly. 'No, I was a dog when he became human. Guys, we need to warn the others.' He said. 'Come on.'

_xo_

_~ Three Hours Later ~_

It was chaos. Peter was still unconscious, with the Dittany stopping the bleeding but leaving a long and jagged scar. They didn't know if he would be a werewolf or not; Dolohov had been mostly human. Maybe the venom hadn't gotten into his system ... maybe there was _still _a chance.

Left, right and centre; witches and wizards were talking strategies, scheming and plotting how to get out safely. And planning where to go! It wasn't there time to leave. They had so much here in the Aurors' training camp.

'Remus,' Lily breathed, 'Remus, how does he know? _How does he know where we are?_' she whispered, stuffing vials and potions and ingredients all into the same pouch she had given the Marauders before moonrise.

'We weren't as secretive as we thought,' he told her huskily, 'someone must have recognised one of us Order members when we go out to get news and gossip. They must have told the Death Eaters that we're all hiding out in Wales.'

The cry of a baby rippled in the air, and Sirius hurried into the lounge, with his wand held tightly in one hand and the other cradling his son's head. Fastened across his chest and wailing as loud as he could was SJ. Lily would have found it endearing that Sirius was carrying his son in such an intimate way, but she found the whole situation rather worrying. He had to be really worried to wear a baby carrier; Sirius had always said they were for "fags". Prejudiced bastard.

He had a scratch on his cheek from play fighting with Moony, and his hair was pulled into a miniature ponytail. 'We need to hurry. They're coming.'

'Lily just needs to give Peter his potion,' Remus said as the redhead shot a spell at the injured young man to wake him up. He woke up with a whine.

'M-Moony,' he breathed, 'Moony, wh-what's—'

'Don't worry.' Lily said, tilting his head back for him. 'Drink up.'

'Am I ... am I ...'

'You need to transform Peter. You aren't strong enough to walk. We'll carry you.' The tallest Marauder explained, running a hand through his golden hair. 'Not right now, but when we leave.' He said sharply. He was so tired. He just wanted to sleep, after the rough night he'd had with Dolohov.

'They want us to split up,' James said as he practically ran into the room, Harry on his back. 'We're gonna communicate through patronuses in groups. _We're splitting up!_'

'What's Dumbledore gonna do?' Sirius asked furiously. Rose burst into the room, her hair like her boyfriend's; tied up in a miniscule ponytail. She wore a rucksack.

And behind her, Moody, Frank, Dedalus Diggle, Shacklebolt, Benjy Fenwick, Edgar Bones and many others hurried in. They surrounded the group of six.

'Dumbledore said you're the priority Sirius, he said we need to protect you.' Frank explained. 'You need to get out of here, they're coming. We're staying to fight—'

'I'm not going.' Remus growled. 'I'm staying to fight. Sorry Padfoot.'

Sirius gulped. 'Why can't I fight?'

'They think you're _dead._' Lily said, her voice almost hysterical. 'I'm staying to fight too—'

'No you're not!' James snapped. 'You're coming with me and Sirius to track down the rest and destroy them!'

'You know you don't need me for that.' Lily's voice was pitying. She winced when James grabbed her hand and dragged her out of the room. As soon as they were outside the door, he pushed Lily against the wall and proceeded to kiss her as hard and as passionately as he could.

'Please,' he choked, 'please don't do this.' His usually mischievous and gorgeous hazel eyes were now tired, dull and a little red.

Lily ran a hand through her husband's hair, smiling when he leaned into her touch. 'Do you remember what you said to me when we got married? You said what you love about me most is how I'm not submissive; I'm not a good little wife who stays at home and does the cooking and cleaning. James,' Lily crooned, 'I'm as much apart of the Order as you are. I have a right to fight. I have more of a right than you do! As a Mudblood, as a Mudblood who married a pureblood, I'm _hated_—'

'Don't,' James breathed, nuzzling her neck and sighing. 'Don't say that word. Look Lily, we need to think about Harry. What if he loses both of us? He shouldn't have to lose the both of us.'

'Then he has his uncles there to take care of him, his uncles who, if possible, love him just as much as we do!' Lily said shortly. She straightened up. 'I don't need your permission to fight. I have more of a right than you do. And I'm going to do this with or without your support.'

He took her face in his hands and sighed. After a minute of thinking hard, his lip trembled and he nodded. 'I'll come then, I'll fight with you.'

'No!' Lily cried, shaking her head. 'You know Padfoot needs you, he can't defeat Voldemort without you. We'll only be apart for a little while, a few weeks at most. And when I fight the Death Eaters, I'm going to come and find you. But I need to do this.'

'You just want to kill Bellatrix.' James frowned.

His wife nodded. 'I do. But go and get the horcruxes. Go and find them. You focus on killing Voldemort and I'll focus on bringing down as many Death Eaters as I can.'

James bit his lip, running a hand through her hair and thinking furiously, trying to find a way to persuade her to stay with him. His whole body sagged when he realised that this was really going to happen. They were really going to split up. 'Y-you stay with Moony at all times if you can. And if you're in danger, jump behind him, he won't mind ... and _please _Lily, for Merlin's sake, don't—'

She silenced him with a sweet kiss. 'Yes, Father.' She joked. Then her face became sombre. 'You take care of Padfoot, okay? You don't let him do anything stupid. Got it?'

And when her husband nodded, she kissed him again.

Rose looked up before turning away as the married couple entered. Moody was explaining exactly what had just happened to Remus. 'So what's going to happen?' Rose whispered, taking her boyfriend's hand.

'You Rose,' Sirius told her, holding his son to his body as he tightened the baby carrier, 'are going back to my old home. You're taking Harry and SJ and you're getting out of here. And Moody'll battle the Death Eaters,' he touched her pendant before turning to face his old mentor. 'You'll fight the Death Eaters, right?'

Moody nodded gruffly. 'It's 'bout time someone finally showed them who's boss. I'm tired of their half-arsed bullshit, if I'm completely honest.' Then he smiled grimly.

Frank and Alice were arguing under their breaths, and his hands kept fluttering to her stomach and gesturing angrily. They looked so in love, Sirius felt guilty for watching them, like he was intruding on an intimate moment.

'I'm staying to fight as well,' Peter rasped from where he was laying down on the sofa. 'I ... I need to –'

'You don't need to do anything Peter, except rest.' Remus murmured. 'You've already redeemed yourself. Moody,' he said abruptly, turning to face the older man, 'any sign of them so far?'

'No.' Benjy interrupted. 'No, we haven't seen any of them yet. They're probably waiting until we get out of here before they attack us.'

Something didn't sound right to Sirius. It didn't sound like Voldemort to wait for them. He always wanted to pull the first move; it gave him the upper hand. 'I think you're reading Voldemort wrong, he wouldn't ...'

He drifted off when the room turned dark, as the most radiant creature graced through, stopping right in front of Moody. She was gorgeous; the most beautiful patronus Sirius had ever seen. 'Lily,' he asked curiously; this was Lily's patronus. What was Lily casting a patronus for?

But when the doe opened her mouth, it wasn't the redhead's voice that came out, but instead, it was Snape's. Severus Snape's. 'Dumbledore is with me. He told me to warn you all. They are coming right now. And they're coming inside. You'll have nowhere to hide when they attack you from underneath. Run, and make sure Sirius Black runs too.'

Then the doe sent Lily a look, ducking her graceful head before vanishing in wisps of radiant white light.

* * *

**A/N:** Please review!

I want to hear what you think, and this chapter is extra long and exciting for you all. It's also been updated super quick!


	5. Fighting and Running

**Disclaimer;** I don't own anything, apart from OCs, the plot, some spells and potions blah blah.

**Important Note:** If you haven't read His Two Paths, I suggest reading it, otherwise you won't understand anything.

This chapter has been written on my phone because my laptop broke; excuse any mistakes for the time being.

* * *

_xoxo_

_5. Fighting and Running_

It was virtually impossible to memorise the whole of Hogwarts; perhaps it would be easier to memorise the universe instead? Albus Dumbledore, however, thought he came quite close to mapping the entire school. His mind was like an enormous cavern, plotting and plotting and plotting.

He knew there was still so much to uncover, and maybe when the whole mess was over, and if he even survived the war, Albus could go back to committing as much of the great school to his memory as he could.

Hogwarts was his home. And it felt so good to be back. Though no one knew he was back. No one could know. Albus hurried as fast as he could down some steps and through an underneath tunnel that he was sure no one save the Founding Four knew about.

The tunnel was brilliant: it opened up wherever the person passing through it wished to appear. Albus pushed through the opening only to appear in his old office. Sitting on one side of the desk was Severus Snape, and on the other, perched on a plush chair, was Fawkes.

The bird's head snapped up, eyes meeting his master's. Then a quivering note descended upon the room; haunting, chilling but so sweet. The phoenix opened his large wings and soared into the air, coming to rest on Albus's shoulder.

Nothing else special was done but that didn't make it any less of a reunion. Albus reached up, stroking the soft feathers of his bird and smiling when he was bitten affectionately on the finger.

But then Albus looked up at the frozen frame of the Death Eater Headmaster, and waited patiently for Severus Snape to turn around and meet his eyes.

There was a clash of stormy coal eyes and piercing blue.

'Dumbledore,' the younger man breathed. 'What are you doing here?'

Albus smiled, and with his phoenix, walked across the desk to sit opposite his old student. If someone had told him five years ago, that the weird seventh year Severus Snape would take his job, Albus would have laughed. But alas, here he was, sitting on the side of his old desk he never even dreamed he would sit on, and ready to ask the younger man for a favour.

'I'm going to tell you something, and I'm asking you to keep it to yourself.'

Snape stood up, shaking his head to clear his mind. He put down the quill he had chewed on and sighed angrily. 'I have a lot on my mind Dumbledore. A lot on my mind—!'

'Sirius Black is alive.'

A pin drop could have been heard. The room grew very silent, very quickly. Then Severus buried his face into his hands. He stood frozen, wand peeking out of his robes and ink on his chin; he looked stressed and mad and so very very tired.

Obviously the younger man wasn't dealing with being Headmaster very well. He was exhausted, in more ways than one.

'How?' he asked in a hoarse voice.

'He returned Severus, and that's all that matters. Voldemort doesn't know, and I intend for it to stay that way.' Will you help me keep it that way? the question didn't need to be asked. Albus had no interest in asking it. What he liked about Snape the most was that the younger man truly was too clever for his own good; he could read people perfectly.

'O-of course.' Snape said reluctantly, looking up. In general, he looked healthier. Maybe it was because Voldemort was being kinder to his faithful followers. Or rather, as kind as the Dark Lord could be.

'What is it then? What do you need me to do?' Snape asked.

Albus watched as Fawkes took off from his shoulder, opening his wings and soaring out of the open window. The office itself looked very different. It was tidier; the books were all on their shelves, Albus's instruments were packed away, quills were boxed and categorised, and parchment rolled up.

'You need to help me protect him—' the old Headmaster was cut off when Snape scoffed, eyes narrowing and teeth clenching in anger and annoyance. Albus sighed, preparing for the rant Snape was sure to burst into.

'You ... you want me to protect that ... that arrogant, hot-headed fool?' the younger man hissed. 'I think he can protect himself! He's come back from the dead, he's fought with the Dark Lord ... he can protect himself, I'm pretty sure.'

'But because he's thought to be dead, he can't openly protect himself, he needs to stay in the shadows Severus. He has a task to do, and he can't do it with Voldemort and Death Eaters watching his every move. All I want is for you to be a guardian angel of some sort. Guide him, warn him of danger, protect him.'

'After everything he has done to me,' Snape whispered, 'you want me to protect him? To jeopardise my position with the Dark Lord, just to make sure he survives? What makes him so important?'

Albus sighed heavily, shaking his head and looking straight into the black orbs of Snape's eyes. 'Because he can end everything.'

'But he can ruin everything.' Snape countered.

And he was right. And wrong. So wrong.

'The only thing we can do is hope. Tom Riddle has power and strength on his side, whereas Sirius Black has the element of surprise. And when fighting Voldemort, surprise means everything.' Albus whispered the last sentence, holding out his hand and watching Fawkes hoot before plummeting through the air to land on the very tips of his fingers.

Fawkes had incredible balance. And in war, balance mattered most. An equal balance between Time _and_ Power.

'I didn't send you that patronus yesterday just so you could turn up today. In fact I stated how dangerous it is to be anywhere near Hogwarts. The Dark Lord comes whenever he wants, without warning. You need to be careful, Dumbledore! Especially now the moon has set.'

'I'm not scared of Voldemort.' Albus replied, shaking his head and looking down. Sometimes the memories in his mind returned at the most random of moments; the memories that hurt him.

Pain.

_Ariana._

And her _pretty_ wide blue eyes.

'I only fear what he could do to others.'

'And for Voldemort, that's more than enough!' snapped Snape. He turned to face Albus fully this time before he sighed gently. 'He's done something he hasn't told me about. But I doubt Voldemort trusts anyone completely. It involves Dolohov—'

'Antonin Dolohov.' Albus breathed, nodding to himself. 'Remus bit him. He's a werewolf now, isn't he?' at Severus's nod, Albus sighed and shook his head. 'Full moon should have ended. Dolohov's first. It must have been painful.'

'Do you think he deserves anything less?'

With a sharp shake of his head, Albus said, 'No, I think he deserves as much pain as possible, if I'm honest...'

The current Headmaster drifted off however when something white streaked into the room. It was large and ferocious; the biggest owl he had ever seen. And with it, the owl was carrying a howler. It dropped the letter and waited patiently beside it.

The red envelop started smoking, and then:

'Come, Snape. Dolohov's injured and needs Healing Draughts. The Dark Lord summons us all to the Malfoy Manor. Dolohov has discovered where the Order is hiding. We're going to attack from underground. We're going to wipe them out once and for all. Hurry.'

The voice was ecstatic. And it was also perhaps the most polite Snape had ever heard Bellatrix talk. Crying out noiselessly, he turned to face Albus. 'Professor ... what do ... what do we _do_?'

_xo_

Lily screamed in frustration. Friends of hers, Order and Aurors alike were running, hurrying, packing and vanishing their belongings; their most prized possessions. Harry was crying, clinging to her as hard as he could. He was a smart boy; smarter than either of his parents made out. He could tell something bad was happening. He knew the significance of such a moment.

James struggled to ply his son from his Mother, crooning under his breath, 'Come on Harry, you need to let Lils go.'

When his son finally let her go, he turned in his Father's arms and wrapped himself around James, kissing him and crying.

'That's a good boy.' James whispered, kissing the side of his son's face and holding him tight.

'I love you Harry,' Lily breathed, tears cascading down her beautiful pale face. Her red hair stood out vividly against her usually creamy but now porcelain face. Her lips were scarlet. And very kissable. James leant forward to press his lips against her own, marvelling at the fact that even during all this mayhem and madness, he could still get turned on.

Marvelling at the fact that without her, he'd probably be dead. He owed her everything, everything and _more!_

'I love you so much,' he whispered to his wife, kissing her again. 'Please Lily, please don't do this...'

She shook her head, kissing him again to silence him. 'No, don't start that up again. I-I need to learn to defend myself without you there, backing me up every step of the way. I need to fight this war, just like everyone else. Because I'm apart of it, just like everyone else.'

'I love you.'

'Love you too,' she replied, leaning over to peck Harry on his nose. He cried out in laughter, his earlier annoyance already forgotten. Oh, how simple it was to be a child!

'I can come with you...' James whispered to her, 'Sirius can find the rest of the horcruxes on his own—'

'No he can't!' Lily hissed indignantly. 'And you know he can't! Look James, you know how much you and Harry mean to me, but we can't win this war if we put ourselves first. I'll see you soon. But I have to do my bit, just as you have to do your bit.'

Like before, James ran his spare hand through his hair, the other hand still holding a now dozing Harry tight to his chest. He sighed and shook his head, looking down at his wife with watery red eyes. 'You stay with Remus, you hear me?' his voice was commanding and deep. For once, he wasn't joking and didn't feel at all close to even smiling. 'You stick with him as much as you can. He'll protect you for me, I know he will. And you take down as many of those bastards as you can, okay?'

Lily grinned mischievously. 'Is there anything else I'd do?'

And then the married couple started kissing again, like it was the last kiss they would ever share. And maybe it was. But they hoped it wasn't. And they'd do _anything_ to make sure it wasn't.

Things were different at the other end of the room however. SJ was wailing; still strapped to the baby carrier an exasperated Sirius was wearing. Rose was crying herself, shaking her head and begging Sirius not to leave.

'—can't do this without you! Think of me and SJ! Think of your son, your beautiful son! What if you die?'

Unbuckling the baby carrier and carefully taking his son out of the Muggle contraption, Sirius handed his son to the Mother after giving SJ a big kiss. Then he retied his hair and turned to face his girlfriend. 'Shut up Rose. I'm not going to die.'

_I can't die!_ Sirius wanted to scream. He had the horcrux. He was safe. He had to stay safe. He couldn't bear the thought of never seeing his son again.

'I'm not going to die Rose.' He said, throwing the backpack over his shoulder after he helped her on with the baby carrier. 'I'm not going to ever leave you. Or him. I couldn't leave him even if I wanted.' Sirius told her, leaning forward to quickly kiss his son again. 'But I need to get you to safety: you, SJ and Harry. You all need to get out of here.'

'What are you going to do?' Rose breathed, gently rocking her son and watching Sirius with wide eyes.

'I don't know ... I really don't know,' Sirius admitted, leaning forward to hug her tight. Then he started to snog her senseless. It grew very heated very quickly; up until Remus popped up beside him and clapped Sirius on the shoulder. 'You need to get out of here, Padfoot.'

His voice didn't have the usual flare of Remus Lupin; the charm or the wit. Instead it was cold, plain, urgent. 'They're breaking down our shields.' He said. Then he turned to Rose. 'The Anti-Apparation spells are lifted. You need to go!'

Before anyone could even process what was going on, Rose strode over to where James and Lily were, took Harry forcefully from them and disapparated with an echoing crack. She didn't even say goodbye. She didn't even let them say goodbye.

Seconds later, the first shudder took over. And everyone inside started screaming.

_xo_

Rose slammed down, an arm immediately coming up to cradle Sirius James, and the other wrapping tighter around her boyfriend's godson. They both started wailing; clearly in pain. But it wasn't like apparating was painless.

'Shush,' Rose breathed, kissing the side of her son's face. 'Shush, it's okay babe.' Then Harry gave her an expectant look and the woman gave him a big sloppy kiss too. How could she not? He looked so much like his Father.

They were in London, but she was smart enough not to apparate right where Sirius's old home was; that was much too obvious, especially since, like the rest of the nation, her Apparation License had been revoked. Only, Rose never got the opportunity to get it back, what with being the lover of the man Voldemort had wanted most.

Instead, she was at least half an hour away, in an alley. An alley that, thanks to Sirius, she was intimately acquainted with. And if Rose was right, up the road was the Marauders' favourite Muggle club, and opposite it, a cafe. A cafe!

Conjuring some sunglasses (it was very sunny this morning) and a cap, Rose put on the accessories. It wasn't the best disguise or anything, but thanks to what Sirius had done to her hair, she was unrecognisable. She conjured a little cap for Harry and put it on him before setting the small boy down on the floor.

'Hold my hand, Pronglet.' She said quietly, holding out her hand.

He took it and looked up at her, smiling. 'Dog an' Lil?'

'We'll see them later.' Rose said, a fake smile on her face. She decided to take a shortcut to the cafe, which thankfully, was still there. Hurrying inside, Rose sat right at the back. No doubt, any of You-Know-Who's people, once they'd detected Rose's illegal apparation, would come looking for her. She made sure Harry wasn't facing the window. He was much too recognisable!

Then Rose closed her eyes and exhaled, struggling to remain calm. But she managed. And when a waitress came up to her, Rose ordered a cappuccino and orange juice with a straw for Harry. He started talking to her. And Rose, momentarily distracted by the cute child in front of her, wished that Sirius James would grow up to be like Harry.

But then Rose realised that all children were like this. Free and fun and energetic; blissfully ignorant. Until they grew intelligent enough to understand the war. And she didn't know what was worse; being ignorant of the war or understanding it. In the end, the result was the same. Wasn't it?

The cafe door opened, sending a tinkle of bells through the air. Rose's head snapped up and she cursed her stupidity and obviousness. But then she sighed in relief when she saw it was just an elderly couple, laughing with each other.

The woman had thick grey white hair, and was carrying a Muggle newspaper. She said something to her partner and accepted his rather clumsy kiss to her cheek. Then the elderly woman sat down whilst he ordered them drinks at the check-out.

It was such a normal thing to do; ordering for each other. But Rose found herself longing to find a similar sort of routine with Sirius. Where they'd go to cafes together, and order each other drinks, and grow old.

When the old man joined his wife again, Rose watched with a small smile. They had eyes only for each other...

She was snapped back to reality when the chimes filled the cafe again, as someone else entered. He was tall, muscular and had dark hair and even darker eyes. He went over to the waitress operating the till and started talking. Discreetly taking out her wand, Rose charmed Harry's hair red and her own son's hair blond; her shade of golden blond.

_Act natural, Rose!_

She leaned over to kiss the top of Harry's head just when the Death Eater looked over at them. He stared for a moment, assessing her short hair and the blond and red-haired boys she was in the process of cleaning up.

But after a few more seconds of examination, the Death Eater shook his head and left quickly. Rose sighed.

'Oh god,' she whispered to herself. Her eyes watered; from fear or relief, Rose did not know. 'Oh god.'

It took at least another half an hour before she was even confident enough to go over and pay for the cappuccino and orange juice. Then she tightened the baby carrier, ignoring SJ's protests, and took Harry's hand.

Rose didn't like being out in the open like this, not one bit. But when she went to the bus stop (she knew her way around London extremely well) all she could do was wait.

Harry sat down beside her at the bus stop and pulled SJ's hair a little too forcefully. Rose looked down at her son. He suited golden hair a lot. In fact, it seemed almost natural on him. And he looked just a tiny bit more like her with blond hair ... maybe, if she ever did see Sirius again, she'd try and persuade him to let her permanently alter SJ's hair.

When the bus came (and she very inconspicuously confunded the bus driver into letting her on) Rose sat down and sighed. Her feet already ached from carrying her son and the rucksack she'd packed earlier. But before she knew it, it was her stop and she reluctantly got off, ignoring the man eyeing her appreciatively.

He was pretty cute too. But no, no, she had Sirius. And she'd be damned if after all the fighting and all her hard work to get him back, she threw it away for a lustful one-night-stand with some Muggle stranger.

Rose held SJ tightly, kissing the top of his head as she once again readjusted the baby carrier. Then she took Harry's hand and started to walk. Rose was nervous; scared; suspicious. Every noise she heard had her looking back worriedly half a dozen times. With the sun blazing down and the warm air cackling, she soon started sweating. She swallowed hard.

After maybe ten minutes, Rose released Harry's hand and let him skip merrily at her side. But when a group of boys, maybe in their mid-teens walked past, she grabbed Harry's hand and watched them round a corner before she relaxed slightly, though she didn't let go of Harry's hand again.

The houses got larger, richer and neater the further she walked. And it was like a weight was lifted from her shoulders; she could breathe again!

Number Nine ... Number Ten ... Number Eleven ... Number Thirteen—

Rose didn't know whether it was her or her son's presence which triggered the house to grow between Eleven and Thirteen, but it did. Towering over the houses on either side, and looking wealthy and grand, it stood, tall and erect before her light green eyes.

She sighed for the millionth time that day and almost smiled. Almost. Not yet though, not yet.

Running up the stone steps, with Harry following behind, Rose lifted the snake knocker and banged it aggressively against the thick door at least half a dozen times. She waited and waited...

Oh please let someone be home!

Just as she lifted the knocker again, the door was thrown open by the small and ugly house elf. Sirius's enemy. Kreacher.

The house elf seemed genuinely surprised.

'MISTRESS!' the elf cried, trying to close the door on Rose's now intruding foot.

'Get back you rotten elf!' she spat, failing in pushing the elf back from the door. She was so weak. She just wanted water. And something to eat.

Anything to eat.

'MISTRESS!' Kreacher roared again. Then a face joined Kreacher's, and there stood Walburga, in all her graceful and beautiful glory. She wasn't smiling though; far from it. Her striking grey eyes were wide, and she was frowning.

'Please,' Rose panted, after a long moment of tense waiting, 'please can we come in Mrs Black?'

And that was when Walburga broke into a wide, stunning smile.

_xo_

The house shook. Screams echoed, shouts and orders flew in the air; and people were trying their hardest to protect their loved ones.

'THEY'RE COMING IN!' bellowed Moody, already in his duelling stance with a wand ready in his hand. Then he noticed something. 'FOR MERLIN'S SAKE, GET OUT OF HERE, BLACK!'

A heavy rucksack hit his chest, and Sirius reeled, winded. He put it on when he managed to get his breath back, looking up to meet the furious golden eyes of Remus. 'You need to get out of here, Padfoot!'

'Where's Prongs!' Sirius shouted. 'Prongs!' he could barely be heard over the screaming. But then the first Death Eater apparated directly into the room. He looked around and grinned before disapparating, another crack rippling through the air.

'JAMES!' Remus roared, swivelling around to try and locate James. And sure enough, he was across the room, holding Lily and furiously arguing with her, kissing her, shielding her from a spell that almost collided with them.

_More cracks._

Death Eaters.

_White light._

'JAMES!'

'PRONGS!'

He finally, after what seemed like an age, looked up. And he froze; only now noticing the urgency of the situation. James's crack joined the ones of the Death Eaters. He appeared beside Sirius, and simply said to Remus, 'Good luck Moony,' before disapparating and taking the long-haired Marauder with him.

Then spells started raining down on the Aurors and Order members. It was fury and electricity and pain; the Death Eaters had grown in numbers. They were strong. Remus barely had enough time to jump in front of Alice before he was struck with the Cruciatus Curse.

Better him than her, at least he wasn't pregnant...

And Frank, ever the courageous man, jumped into a battle with the Death Eater who dared harm his family. Alice snatched her son from the floor and managed a 'thank you' to Remus before she too, was gone.

'ANTI-APPARATION WARDS!' a voice cried.

Bellatrix.

Remus almost gagged. Almost. She made him sick. And she was now watching him, twirling her wand and chewing seductively on her lip. Bellatrix seemed so calm, considering the spells shooting dangerously close to her.

'Werewolf,' she spat. 'How was the full moon?'

Tiring, so very tiring. 'Interesting—' he threw the first non-verbal spell at her, 'the most_ interesting_ full moon I've had in a while—'

'CRUCIO—' the Torture Curse.

'ADFLICTIO—' a spell that inflicted such pain.

'AVADA—'

'REGERO!' and Remus managed to throw her back. But she was resilient; one did not become a favourite of the Dark Lord if they gave up easily. She stood up and threw a harder spell back at him, skimming the side of his leg and watching him roar in pain.

'Bitch.'

'Half-breed.'

And then they started throwing spells at each other again.

_xo_

James and Sirius appeared in the cover of trees, and though they couldn't see the Death Eaters and their friends fighting, they could hear them. The air around them cackled with electricity and power. But there had to be enough of them to win; enough Aurors and enough of the Order, right?

They weren't going to lose. They couldn't lose.

'Padfoot,' James was whispering. But Sirius was too busy inside his own mind to pay attention. Then James started tugging on his sleeve and Sirius looked up.

'What?'

It was like winter came; frosty, cloudy and so bitterly cold. The sun disappeared, sinking deeper into the sky and behind the shelter of almost black clouds. And the dark was following them.

It was so dark.

When did it get so dark?

Sirius shivered. They were trapped. Surrounded by black shadows. And it was so cold.

Sirius had never known such coldness. His breath turned white in the air, and he shivered again. The air turned darker, if such a feat was even possible.

He choked.

'D-de-de...' he couldn't finish his sentence. All he could do was watch the space in front of him, the space that was getting smaller and smaller and...

James threw the Invisibility Cloak over the both of them, knowing it possessed special powers. It was a true Invisibility Cloak, and apparently, his Father had believed it was also part of the Deathly Hallows. And the Invisibility Cloak, the last Hallow, was passed down the Peverell line, protecting those who wore it from Death.

Sirius was already friends with Death though, wasn't he? He didn't need to be protected; he just needed to keep a promise.

And just like that, the Dementors turned and left. The cloak, like so many times before, had protected them from the searching eye of their hunter. Releasing a breath he didn't even know he was holding in, Sirius turned to his best friend. 'That was close...'

A shriek pierced the air. It was coming from the other direction, where some of the Order was. 'EXPECTO PATRONUM!' roared James, and erupting from the tip of his wand was a great translucent stag, enormous, strong and powerful. It made an almighty noise before chasing away some of the Dementors.

Sirius was still shivering. He was so scared of them. There had to be at least fifty, swarming towards the small opening of the Aurors' Training Camp. There was a reason he was so scared of Dementors, they were his greatest fear...

Or they had been. But Sirius now thought maybe the Dark Lord was his biggest fear. Or maybe anything that could harm his son.

'We need to go,' James said. 'The sooner we get the rest of the horcruxes and destroy them, the sooner we can be with our families again.'

'Where are we going?' Sirius had to call over the shouts coming from the other direction. He could hear Moody bellowing orders and shouting curses.

'That,' the bespectacled Marauder's voice was deep and serious, 'is something even I don't know.' He stuffed the Invisibility Cloak into his rucksack.

Then, without another word, he grabbed the other man by the shoulder and disapparated, an echoing CRACK tearing through the air.

_xo_

Walburga snapped at Kreacher; 'Go get them some cool refreshments!' He hurried off without another word. Sirius's Mother opened the door wide, beckoning Harry and Rose inside, before she closed the door and waved her wand, adding extra protection to the wards.

'Taten,' Walburga breathed. 'What on earth are you doing here?'

Rose was panting; maybe it was the adrenaline and the fatigue and the thirst, or maybe she just really needed to sit down. Mrs Black seemed to sense it and immediately led them to the drawing room, where the windows were open, sending a pleasant draft inside, and the WWN was switched on.

Rose sunk down on the sofa, sighing heavily. She unbuckled the baby carrier and took SJ out, setting him on the thick expensive carpet. He could crawl now, barely, but when the mood struck him, Sirius James was off like a rocket. Or maybe a snail would be a better analogy.

Rose watched her son and admired his beauty. He really did suit blond hair.

With a wave of her wand, the glasses and caps disappeared, and Harry grinned at her, red hair sticking up just like James's. Restoring her boyfriend's godson's hair back to normal, Rose looked at her own son, wondering whether she should change his hair, or leave it golden just for a little longer.

'Leave it,' Walburga said in a deep voice. 'He suits it.'

Rose nodded tiredly before she scooped her hair up and tied it into a small ponytail.

'I didn't recognise you.' Walburga said. 'Your hair is very different.'

'You can thank your son for that.' Rose replied quietly. When Kreacher came in with iced lemonade and some sponge cake, Rose lifted Harry and set him on her lap, giving him a cup and feeding him bits of sponge cake once she'd consumed as much as she could.

'Thank you,' Rose said, 'thank you so much.'

But Walburga Black didn't seem to be listening. Instead she had her grandson in her arms, and she was running her fingers through his golden hair, smiling softly as he looked up, cooing and giggling. It seemed like what happened to everyone who'd ever even touched SJ was happening to the cold, heartless Walburga Black.

She looked like she was so in love, like he was the most precious thing ever. 'I'm glad you've carried on the family tradition of naming children after stars.' Walburga said slowly, looking up from her godson to stare at Rose. 'I'd have hated it if you called him something like Jack or Matthew ... disgustingly common names.'

Rose was tempted to say that her Father's name was Matthew, but she held it back. Maybe she was half her Father, but she'd never even met him before. He didn't mean anything to her, as much as she wanted him too.

'I have a feeling Sirius James'll be the brightest person out there. Rather fitting, don't you think?'

Surprisingly, Walburga smiled. 'Yes.' Then her face fell and she stopped smiling. 'Why are you here with Potter's son?'

Rose sighed, running a hand through her hair and setting Harry down on the ground. 'It's a long story.'

'We have time.'

'Death Eaters.' Rose snapped angrily; even the thought of them made her so angry. 'They came and attacked where we were hiding. Sirius and the others got me out of there with the children.'

'Foolish boy,' Walburga said, shaking her head. 'My son Regulus was never like him. He preferred to stick to the shadows, a Slytherin through and through. But he was intelligent like the Ravenclaws, and as much as I hate to admit it, he had Gryffindor qualities too. He didn't deserve to die ... and here, looking down at your son, I'm reminded so much of Regulus.'

'Why?'

Walburga laughed to herself. 'Regulus was quiet, he liked to play and watch people. Sirius on the other hand ... the biggest show off there is. He'd always be crying or screaming, anything to get attention. And when he went to Hogwarts, it changed from attention seeking to rebelling. I think the last time I was proud of him was when I found out his girlfriend was Serena Yaxley.'

Rose swallowed. She remembered Yaxley. Horrible bitch. Yaxley was stunning, graceful, intelligent...

Everything Rose wasn't.

'SJ rarely cries. I think he gets that from you.' She didn't mean to say it, but it came out. And weirdly enough, Walburga seemed like she respected her for being brave enough to say it.

'Yes well ... tears are for the weak.'

'Will you hide us, Mrs Black?' Rose asked after a moment. She watched her son reach up and tug gently on a lock of his grandmother's soft black hair. Walburga looked down just as SJ reached up further to touch her cheek. Instead, he touched her lips, and before the cold woman knew what she was doing, she kissed the hand pressed to her mouth.

SJ left a lingering touch on her chin before dropping his hand.

It took a long moment for Walburga to compose herself, but when she did, her voice still shook: 'Yes, yes I will.'

_xo_

'Professor?' Snape hissed, watching the owl fly out of the window. 'What do we do?'

Albus was staring at the spot the owl had just been. He was shocked, more than shocked. But then again, he knew, sooner or later, Voldemort would find them. He always did. He swallowed hard. 'I guess ... I guess we're going to have to do what the patronus has asked us to do. Round up some Healing Draughts and apparate directly to where he's asked of you.'

'But professor! They're coming to hunt you all down.'

'Which is why, Severus, you're going to send a patronus.' Albus's voice was urgent now. He wasn't joking, and he wasn't in the slightest amused by any of this. People were going to die. Some of them on the good side, and some on the bad.

Snape paused, looking like he wanted to protest. But he didn't. Instead, he whipped out his long dark wand and hissed the spell Dumbledore had taught him, conjuring a round ball of white wisps. And then he started speaking in a clear, angry but collected voice: 'Dumbledore is with me. He told me to warn you all. They are coming right now. And they're coming inside. You'll have nowhere to hide when they attack you from underneath. Run, and make sure Sirius Black runs too.'

The ball of white grew larger, until it was tall and radiant; its knowing eyes appraising Snape before it dashed out of the window at a furious lope.

The patronus was the same as Lily's ... a doe... 'Lily.' Albus breathed.

'Always.' Snape muttered angrily. Then he turned away, and this time his voice shook. 'Always.'

_xo_

_~ the following night ~_

'And now we have Minister Lucius Malfoy here, joining us, with a very special announcement.' The crowd applauded, more out of fear than respect. Lucius looked around, smiling softly to himself.

Then he sat opposite the broadcaster and thanked the older man. 'Thank you, Walter.'

Lucius was only in his late twenties, and he was already the Minister of Magic. No wonder people were outraged; such a young man, ruling over their country. Preposterous!

Lucius found it funny.

'And thank you all for coming.' He continued. 'The support means a lot to me, and I'm grateful. Now, lend me your ears and your eyes, because I have a very important announcement. The Ministry would like to achieve something; and it's a mission that would be made easier if you could all help.'

The audience were listening with rapt attention now, surprised. What could Lucius Malfoy, Death Eater and one of the purest wizards in Britain, want from them? Didn't he have everything? It sure seemed that way!

'I need to find James Potter, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew. After a mission to retrieve the three men, earlier today, several of our Aurors—' he couldn't help but smile at this part, 'were killed and many more were injured. However, three of the attackers allied with Potter, Lupin and Pettigrew were detained and shipped off to Azkaban.'

Lucius waited for applause, and after a befuddled moment, he got one. Lucius smiled graciously, beaming at Walter. Then he continued. 'Nonetheless, Potter, Lupin and Pettigrew weren't caught. And we need to find them, we need to find them now ... before they wreck more havoc on Britain. I say, if the D- ... if Sirius Black can be captured and killed, so can they.'

It was hard not to say the Dark Lord, but it wasn't time to reveal his presence behind the Ministry and the running of Britain just yet. It was a gradual thing that took time. Like only a few weeks ago had the magazines and newspapers stopped called the great wizard You-Know-Who and now referred to him as the Dark Lord.

It was going to take time to stop the population of Britain from fearing Lord Voldemort and have them admiring him, like they so rightfully should. Oh, many knew of the Dark Lord's involvement in the government but they didn't know just how involved he was.

'Now, we have to appeal to the Muggle population as well. Which is why, tomorrow, I have a meeting with the Muggle Prime Minister...'

And Lucius Malfoy was not looking forward to it, not one bit.

_xo_

Sirius and James hoped she still lived where she had since graduation. They hadn't seen her in so long, so, so long. And they missed her, Sirius more than James.

But either way, she had been an important part of their life. Especially during Hogwarts. The house she lived in was small, comfortable, and of course, brilliantly done up. But what did you expect from the daughter of a model?

They knocked on the door and waited for at least five minutes.

_Please let her be home, please..._

The door swung open, revealing a sleep deprived and rather pissed off woman. She was gorgeous. Tanned olive skin, pearly white teeth, long black hair and wide dark green eyes.

No, she wasn't gorgeous. She was the meaning of the word. Sirius couldn't help his eyes roam her body; willowy and tall.

The woman's sleepy eyes widened when she recognised the two men standing at her doorstep; dirty, tired and smiling widely at her. 'Sirius...' she breathed.

'Emanuelle.' Sirius replied, leaning forward to deposit a very brief kiss on the corner of her mouth. 'Mind letting us in, babe?'

* * *

**A/N: **This is well overdue, and I'm incredibly sorry for that! I could start saying that I've been in the hospital because I got really sick, and I've got some major exams in the next few days, and I need some incredible mood lifting which I'm sure you can all participate in by leaving me some amazing and helpful reviews.

Maybe about how you're amazed that I've finally, after His Two Paths, have introduced Emanuelle Danté? But yeah, I think you guys and your reviews can heal me quicker than those stupid doctors. Have a brilliant day, thanks for all the support.


	6. Trelawney's Dagger

**Important Note; **I strongly suggest reading His Two Paths first.

**A/N:** Basically, just ignore any mistakes you see. This chapter was hard to write, what with a little writer's block emerging, but I think I've tackled it okay. Oh, and I also edited Chapter One quite a bit, the beginning mainly; so read it back if you want. Anyway, I'm blabbing.

Happy Belated Diwali, by the way.

* * *

_xoxo_

_6. Trelawney's Dagger_

Azkaban had always been incredibly frightening, from its first appearance in 1028. Even the name was enough to send shivers racking through the bodies of anyone who even so much as _heard _the name. Azkaban was _that_ frightening.

But now it was worse, thanks to the Death Eaters, who had recently taken up residence there. They were worse than the Dementors, if possible; just as dangerous, just as cold and chilling. Bellatrix revelled in it. Besides, she, and the others, had worked hard on Azkaban.

For example, the ridiculous number of prisoners they had first encountered when Azkaban was taken over had been in dire need of sorting out.

Prisoners such as the vast number of Death Eaters who had been captured from before Voldemort took over the Ministry: but there were other prisoners too, who now wanted to join forces with the Dark Lord; anything they could do to get out of their small dingy cell. Bellatrix found it piteous, but useful nonetheless.

On the topic of _hard work _and _Death Eaters doing anything they could to please their Dark Lord, _Bellatrix thought about the labs built to house the experiments carried out on the Mudbloods.

_Labs._

_Experiments._

Madison Jeffrey was a demanding little witch. And Bellatrix didn't like her one bit. The other Death Eater was stealing all the Dark Lord's attention; just because she could make a few potions and cast a few spells on the prisoner Mudbloods.

In fact, Bellatrix was on her way right now to get a male Mudblood, only in his mid-twenties, for the Dark Lord. They were going to experiment. Apparently, Madison and her team had made a breakthrough with the experimentation. And this time, Lord Voldemort was going to be there to watch himself.

Bellatrix lifted her head haughtily, glaring at the Death Eaters cowering away from her as she passed them. Then she hissed at the two Dementors and they began to lead her past the cells and to one of the last ones.

A young man, maybe a little older than her cousin Sirius, and not bad looking at all, was huddled in the corner of the cell. He was shivering, clothing ripped and drenched in blood. His wounds were the mark of Crouch Jr.

Sadistic bastard.

But she still cared for him a great deal. More than money and her family name? No. But more than Lestrange? Yes.

Bellatrix waved her wand and the cell door was thrown open, sending a gust of wind at her. The Dementors, at her nod, purged forward and seized the young man by his arms. He looked up, alarmed. But when he saw Bellatrix, he started muttering hysterically; 'No, please, no, _no _... please, I'm begging you—'

She silenced him with '_Crucio_,' and he cried out softly; he would have cried louder but he had no energy, his body was shutting down.

'Shut up.' Bellatrix said coldly.

And before she knew it, the young man was cursing her; spitting insults and profanities at her. Bellatrix reached over and slapped him hard, his light brown hair whipping forward and veiling his face.

'Shut up,' she breathed. 'Or I'll torture you.'

He seemed to be weighing his options. Then he sagged, his body, his _mind_ just giving up. The Dementors were forceful, and the Death Eaters lining the cells were aggressive, sending him kicks and punches as he was dragged past.

It felt like he'd been walking forever, and Romeo was so tired. He hadn't eaten anything in a while, he barely ever got any sleep (thanks to that bastard Barty Crouch Junior) and of course, the Dementors were getting to him.

They were shadows; always there, always at hand to make him feel worse. Romeo was forgetting what happiness felt like. He'd been in Azkaban too long. But at least his first few months, he'd been helping to build an extension to the prison. It was tiring and at the time seemed never-ending, but it proved a worthy distraction.

Only now, he didn't have anything to distract him. Maybe the young Barty, who he vaguely remembered from his time at Hogwarts. Only, Barty distracted Romeo from being in Azkaban, not from being in pain. And Romeo was always in pain.

Bellatrix, when they reached the highest floor of the prison, threw open the doors; shiny, clean and very tall. The first thing Romeo noticed was the brightness of the room, a stark contrast to the rest of the dirty, dreary grey prison. It was a large room, with many "healers" holding clipboards and looking all _professional_ and _daunting_ and _cold_.

There were a few chairs; stiff and frigid and so uninviting. 'Get the Dark Lord.' Bellatrix snapped to her husband, who was in the process of chatting to another Death Eater.

After a while, her husband answered reluctantly, 'The Dark Lord is busy interrogating the captured ones from Wales.' Rodolphus was just as cold to his wife as she was to him. It really was a loveless marriage. Even the sex was loveless; almost mechanical and very rare. Bellatrix could actually count the number of times they'd had sex.

That was why she was having a steamy affair with Barty Crouch Jr. Well, it was supposed to be an affair. But Bellatrix could tell many people already suspected or knew outright about her and Barty. She didn't mind much though. It wasn't like Rodolphus hadn't cheated on her before. Three months into their marriage she'd found out he was having sex with other women.

Nonetheless, the marriage was a convenience; for the both of them.

'Alright then,' Bellatrix said loftily. She turned to the Dementors. 'Put him there.' The attractive woman said sharply, pointing at the space not far from where she stood, on the floor.

Romeo was thrown down, and he whimpered, something clicking in his leg that was _definitely _not supposed to click. He was there for a while, as Death Eaters came in and out; spoke and laughed; cursed him and hexed him.

He could tell they were bored, waiting for their Great and Dark Lord. He was anything but great. In fact, Romeo found him pathetic. Clever, yes. But wise? Not at all.

And being clever and wise were two totally different things.

A Clashing noise interrupted Romeo's thoughts. The door at the other end of the enormous room was thrown open. In came three Death Eaters, all standing proud and tall. But who wouldn't be proud standing beside the Dark Lord.

He was a towering figure; commanding and imposing. But he was awfully frightening. His face was different; eyes permanent rubies, skin a dreary whitish grey, and no hair now. He had no hair now.

He was smiling. Lord Voldemort stepped forward, a vile smile flickering on his face. 'Romeo...?'

'Kelley.' He panted, looking up to meet those furious deep red eyes.

'Kelley.' Voldemort tested. 'I don't recognise the name.' He drawled, eyes darting to every person in the room before once again settling back on Romeo Kelley. He looked like a hungry predator, hunting and stalking and waiting.

'I'm Muggleborn—'

'_Crucio!_' his voice was sudden, sharp and loud. It was pure agony.

_White was all Romeo could see._

Pure, unadulterated agony. He opened his mouth and let out a cry, eyes rolling back into their sockets and tongue lolling out of his mouth. Romeo heard more people talk but he couldn't pay attention, not even when the spell was lifted.

_Agony._

'Would you like to try again, Mr Kelley?' the Dark Lord teased, revelling in the laughs echoing around him.

'I'm,' Romeo wheezed, 'a Mudblood.' He had to give them what they wanted. Maybe then the pain would stop. The pain that was so much worse than any other he'd ever felt.

'Good boy. Now come. I mustn't waste time. And we _really _don't have much time left.' And with that, Voldemort conjured some binds and tied Romeo up. He was too weak to protest. All he could hear, see and feel was the torture.

_Such torture._

_xo _

Remus had not always been a shy boy. When he was a toddler, before he was bitten, he had been the most mischievous little boy; stealing cookies and chocolate, running off when it was bath time, and making fart noises whenever his parents sat down.

Then Greyback found him.

And it was like his personality, his _real _personality left. Hid from him. Almost like a volcano, usually explosive and passionate, suddenly becoming dormant. Sleeping.

Soon, Remus became a shy, quiet boy. But inside him lurked the prankster, the joker, the mischievous boy waiting patiently for the time to come when he could rise. Several years later however, Remus became eleven, and left for Hogwarts, where he met three boys; three boys who brought out the real Remus. They taught him how to have fun again, how to be wild and naughty once more...

But now, he wasn't the shy boy, nor was he the naughty marauding one. Now, he was the ferocious one, the wolf, he was Moony. He had to be Moony. Because he wouldn't get out alive if he was anyone else.

Lily was beside him, and Remus wouldn't have her anywhere else. He promised James. And he would keep his promise. 'REGERO!' he bellowed, aiming at the enormous Death Eater.

But his spell was thrown aside. He was weakening. He hadn't slept in over thirty hours; he hadn't eaten in almost as long, his injuries from the full moon still hadn't been healed...

And as toned and fit as Remus was, he just couldn't cope with it. He was going to shut down. Whether it was in two hours, or two minutes, his body was pleading for him to stop. Which was why Remus tried that much harder to win. To end the fight, to end the pain and strain he was putting his body through. '_Episkey!_' would only work once or twice on him.

'DOLORIO!' the Death Eater cried, before ducking a curse sent his way. Remus cried in pain when a rogue spark from the curse hit him. It felt like hot knives were stabbing up and down his arm, and for a moment he was so absorbed in the pain, he couldn't focus on the duel he was in.

But Lily threw herself in front of him, her wand slicing through the air; power and sparks of electricity raining from it. 'PROLABOR MAXIMA!'

And her spell hit. The Death Eater's body shuddered for a moment before he fell, writhing on the floor. It was like being struck by a Muggle Taser. Only it hurt so much more; and it lasted so much longer. The spell was, of course, illegal. Except for use during Ministry Approved Official Duelling Tournaments. And though this wasn't quite official or Ministry Approved, it was a duelling tournament alright.

'EXPECTO PATRONUM!' Remus heard someone bellowing in the distance.

But _Expecto Patronum _didn't work against people; it wasn't used against humans ... it was used against something much worse.

Dementors had come.

'We need to get out,' Remus whispered into Lily's ear, grabbing her forcefully by the elbow.

She nodded and swallowed. 'We need ... we n-need to find Peter...'

Remus was about to respond, but was cut off. The warmth was sucked from the room. The shadows were approaching. And the room they were fighting in felt like it was getting smaller. Someone, some_thing _was coming, drawing nearer, looming...

_Darkness._

It was all coming. Coming for them? Coming after them. It didn't matter. They were going to lose. That was until the shadows threw back their hoods and started drinking.

They were thirsty. Voldemort had made them ever so thirsty.

_xo_

Sirius leaned forward and kissed the corner of her pretty pink mouth. 'Mind letting us in, babe?'

Sirius and James didn't even wait, instead kindly pushing past her and closing the front door when she stood frozen for at least half a minute. She wasn't even moving.

'Emanuelle?' James asked uncertainly, and when she turned around to whisper his name, he started laughing; elated. 'I haven't seen you in so long!' he sung, stepping forward to hug her tightly, even lifting her off the ground for a very brief moment.

'W-what are you doing here?' she murmured.

Her hair was thick, black and long; bunched around her gorgeous face. Emanuelle's large dark green eyes were red with fatigue, and without even so much as a word, she hurried out of the small hallway, leaving them perplexed.

'Well,' James huffed. 'I expected a bit more enthusiasm.' His arms dropped.

Sirius couldn't help but smile. Emanuelle had brought the house straight after graduation, and though they had still corresponded with her through letters, they didn't have time to visit her as much as they would have liked too; what with the Order and personal issues, and she in turn didn't have much time to visit them. But what did they expect?

James led the way to the living room. It was cosy, small and very neat. There were pictures up of her pretty Mother and her model Father, or rather, her _retired _model Father.

James flopped down on the sofa, groaning. 'Do you think...?'

'Lily's fine, Prongs,' Sirius said softly, sitting opposite his friend on the loveseat. He sighed. 'She'll be fine, she has Remus with her.'

And surprisingly, James calmed down quite a bit. 'Harry would be fine too, right?'

Sirius nodded. 'Rose would risk her life trying to get Harry safely there. And my Mother may be many things, many_ many _things, but she would never turn out the heir to the House of Black.'

When they heard the clinking of bottles, the men looked up to see Emanuelle with three bottles of firewhiskey. She threw one to James who deftly caught it, and then handed one to Sirius.

He couldn't help but watch her; anyone would. Emanuelle was extremely beautiful, even Sirius's Mother hadn't been able to deny it. And who would've thought? Walburga Black complimenting a half-blood?

Emanuelle was still half asleep too! Her hair resembled James's, and she was dressed in a pair of tight tiny shorts and a baggy Muggle band top.

'You look bloody gorgeous at this untimely hour, Emanuelle, wouldn't you say Pads?'

Sirius's eyes ran over her body again, and paused when they reached her chest. 'Definitely.' His voice was husky and deep as his eyes flickered up to wink at her mischievously.

'Though I would've appreciated a bit more of a greeting,' he admitted, running a hand through his jaw length hair.

'Agreed. We could have been dead for all you coulda known.' James told them, shaking his head mockingly.

'I'm sorry,' Emanuelle said, her slight Italian accent coming out. She stretched the limbs of her body and made her way over to James, kissing him softly on the head. 'I'm so glad you're safe.'

Then she turned to Sirius, and they grinned at each other. 'Miss Danté.' He said.

'Mr Black.' Emanuelle replied, before she let out a stifled sob and leapt at him, wrapping her arms around him and kissing his cheek and his hair. '– I was so scared ... –thought you were dead ...' she was repeating.

Then she hugged him tightly once again before leaning back to look him straight in the eye. 'What happened?' she asked in a slightly more composed voice.

'Where do I even begin?' Sirius replied just as softly. He kept him arms draped loosely around her, keeping her body close to his. He remembered the enormous crush he'd had on her during some of his time at Hogwarts.

'Why are you here?'

'We ran.' James was different now; more serious, a lot more alert...

'Outnumbered?' she guessed, her intelligence kicking in.

'There were so many,' the bespectacled Marauder answered. 'And we had to fight our way out. I needed to get Padfoot out of there; they can't know he's alive, they just _can't._'

Emanuelle looked back down at Sirius, shifting on his lap. 'How ... how did you survive?' she asked him carefully. 'How have you made them _think_ you're dead?'

Sirius couldn't tell her the details; who knew what would happen to her. 'The spell wasn't strong enough—' if James was about to interrupt, he didn't, 'it could have killed me. But it didn't.'

'A-and Rose? Lily?' she waited for a bit, chewing on her lip before letting out in a quiet whisper, 'Remus?'

'Lily's back with Remus,' James sad softly, 'they're fighting right now probably ... Lily could be injured, she could be dying, she could be _dead_...' he cleared his throat and looked away, staring wistfully into the air, eyes behind specs watering.

'Remus,' the Italian woman repeated quietly, 'I haven't seen him in so long. I haven't seen Rosie in so long!' she sounded very angry at this part.

'She's alright,' Sirius said, more for himself than for the pretty woman sitting half on his lap. 'I know she can do this.'

'Do what?' Emanuelle asked.

The long-haired man laughed and pinched her cheek. 'She's taken our son and Pronglet off to my Mother's to be safe. They should be there now...'

'You're son,' Emanuelle tried, smiling at him with watery eyes. 'I still haven't met him. I bet he's as beautiful now as he was in those photographs leaked to the Daily Prophet...'

Sirius and James grinned at her. 'He's already a little player,' the bespectacled one answered, 'I saw him sticking his hand down Lily's top. I didn't know whether to be angry or amused. I settled for something half way between.'

And for the first time since they'd gotten there, Emanuelle started laughing. She clapped her hands together, muttered fluidly in Italian for a short moment, and then beamed at them again. 'I need to meet this SJ boy everyone's been talking about...'

'Actually,' Sirius interrupted, 'you haven't seen Harry in quite a while. I think I've got a picture of them both in my rucksack, from just a few weeks ago actually.' He rifled in his bag, taking out empty packets, socks, clothes, and all the other crap in it, before the bag was finally empty save the bundle of photos at the bottom.

He took them and started flicking through them before he finally came to his favourite picture; Harry sitting on the floor with a crawling SJ beside him. They were both looking up, but whereas Harry was smiling widely, SJ stared intently at the camera, almost like he was concentrating ever so hard on something.

He looked wonderful.

'Oh,' crooned Emanuelle, 'he's...' she said, leaving the sentence unfinished. After a few minutes of staring; filled only with the sounds of breathing and James gulping down his firewhiskey, Emanuelle looked up. 'He's wonderful. Looks just like you, more like you than before.'

'Yeah,' Sirius grinned. 'There's another one too of Rose dancing with him, but it's not in this bundle ... might be in the zip...' as he searched, Emanuelle ploughed her way through the photographs.

She laughed when she came across one of SJ sitting on the floor, attempting to dance. James knelt beside her and pointed at the legs in the background.

'Those sexy bare legs belong to a Mrs Lily Evans Potter. I think she was just wearing a towel then, but she was playing some music to help get SJ to sleep. Right, Pads...? Padfoot?'

Sirius however wasn't paying attention anymore. He pushed Emanuelle out of his lap, not gently at all, and fell to his knees on the ground. He tipped his rucksack upside down and shook it, but nothing came out, save a few other empty wrappers. He stuck his hands inside and fervently searched the smaller compartments before hissing out.

'James,' he said hoarsely, gesturing for his friend to hand over his own rucksack. Repeating the same routine as before, Sirius stripped the khaki coloured bag of all its contents, but what he was looking for did not come out.

'_Fuck!_' he howled. 'Fuck-fuck-fuck!' He jumped up and hissed angrily before kicking some of the stuff on the floor furiously. He pulled at his hair, inhaling and exhaling heavily. 'Fuck Prongs,' Sirius hissed.

'What, Padfoot?' James asked quietly.

'The dagger, Trelawney's one, I can't find it.'

_xo_

SJ clapped his hands together, and squealed again. He reached higher and higher, trying to bat the snitch away and giggling when he touched it. Harry was playing with his quaffle, chasing after it and swearing at it.

He had a potty mouth, he did. But what was to be expected? With a Father like that and Uncles even worse...

Rose lay on the large plush leather sofa, stretched out and sipping iced lemonade. She licked her lips and pushed back some sweat-damped hair.

Harry almost kicked SJ and she hurriedly put her glass down and scooped her son up, kissing the side of his head. He didn't cry much, SJ didn't. But he was frowning deeply, staring at her with wide silver eyes, lower lip trembling. 'Shhh,' Rose whispered, 'don't cry, darling.'

'G-gg-ggr—' he squealed in that delightfully high voice of his.

'Yes,' Rose mumbled distractedly, running a hand through his now Black hair. They'd been back for quite a while now, it was well into the evening, and dinner was being made for them. Walburga had been gone for about twenty minutes, and the room was eerily quiet without her.

Rose, strangely enough, was starting to really respect Mrs Black. The woman was a great bitch, oh yes, but she was someone who needed to be respected. She commanded that sort of thing. Like Dumbledore. Whether or not you _liked _the old man, there was just something about him.

Walburga was charismatic and charming, with a personality that drew anyone in.

The door opened and SJ made another squealing noise, clapping his hands together. Mrs Black came back in, Kreacher in tow. She signalled for Rose to get up: 'Dinner's ready,' she said in that haughty, posh voice of hers; a voice so similar to her son's; if not in pitch than definitely by the accent, its haughtiness and huskiness.

'Okay,' Rose said. She was slightly endeared when she saw that there were two baby chairs around the kitchen table. The food smelt excellent. She inhaled deeply and grinned before putting her son in his chair and Harry in his slightly bigger one.

'This smells wonderful,' she breathed to herself, tucking a lock of gold hair behind her ear. Sitting between the two boys, Rose started shovelling spoons filled with food onto her plate; mash potato, lamb, gravy, carrots, peas and so much more. But the blonde woman almost groaned when Harry started crying and repeating at the top of his lungs, 'FOOD! FOOD! FOOD!'

'Potter's son has no manners,' Walburga commented loftily, shaking her head and frowning. She was carefully assembling her meal, whilst Kreacher poured her expensive ancient mead from the 16th century. The aging woman was probably only drinking it because it was expected of her. Rose would bet a million galleons on that the wine tasted like old fart.

'You can't blame him. He only repeats what he sees and hears his Father and godfather do.' Rose challenged, licking the gravy from her lip and scooping more peas into her mouth.

'Yes, his Father,' the older woman said back, almost _lazily, _as if she couldn't give a flying _fuck _what Rose thought or said. 'Either way, he has rotten manners. He's obviously not been—'

'Mistress,' a voice croaked, and when Rose turned to see who it was, she shivered at the hideous elf standing in the doorway. 'Kreacher is sorry to disturb his Mistress, but Mistresses Bella and Cissy are waiting at the door. They want to speak to Mistress Black immediately...'

Walburga looked up; silver eyes boring into Rose's light green ones. 'Go,' she breathed. 'Kreacher, take Taten and the children to the underground cellar, through the escape route, and to that _room _Orion used, got it?'

'Y-yes, Mistress, but—'

Walburga reached out and slapped the elf, for the first time in years. He was certainly surprised. 'You are forbidden to talk to anyone about _any _of this Kreacher, to no one. Take Taten and the children and keep them hidden until I come and get you.'

Walburga didn't even wait, instead waving her wand and vanishing at least half the food. She then vanished the baby chairs before sweeping out of the room, her long dress billowing behind her. Kreacher wrapped his hand firmly around Rose's arm, fingers piercing her skin, before he whispered, '_This way, _Miss Taten.'

She swallowed nervously, but let him drag her, Harry and SJ through a door and down some steps.

'What's happening,' Rose breathed, clutching her son tighter.

Kreacher sighed angrily, but continued to drag Rose through the weaving paths. 'Mistresses Cissy and Bella, they're here.'

'W-why?' she was afraid now, more than afraid.

She stopped walking, one arm tightening around SJ and the other keeping Harry close. 'Kreacher?'

He almost _sneered _at her, and she was tempted to hit him.

'They're here for _you_.'

_xo_

The Dark Lord had many emotions, some of hatred, and others of happiness. But his happiness was usually short lived. Someone did something to disappoint him. And then he'd be in a delightfully _murderous _mood for the rest of the week.

But now, he was content. And if the experiment worked, he'd be happy again.

'Show me, Madison,' he said in a soft, silky voice. She shivered but nodded quickly.

'Yes, my Lord. The subject from the first successful experiment is still in a comatose state, but it's a definite improvement.'

The labs were large; there were three in total. And Madison ran all of them. Though Voldemort didn't know exactly how she categorized them, he knew the one he was in now was the largest and for the most serious tests. There were already three dead Mudbloods on the beds furthest from him.

There was also a forth bed; monitors hovering in the air and all the latest St Mungos technology scattered around the large white room.

Madison straightened her long white coat. He was sedated right now, the Mudblood Romeo Kelley. And a good job too; the young man was rude and aggressive, especially when he had been pinned down to the hospital bed.

Lights were flickering in the air, showing his vitals, blood pressure, levels of surfacing magic and a whole lot more. Once she checked to make sure everything was alright, she cleared her throat and pointed at the cute man sleeping on the bed.

Madison was about to touch his hand when she shook her head, scoffed and put some gloves on. _And then _she touched him, feeling for a vein. 'Studies show, my Lord, that this vein here leads to the magic source of the body.'

Voldemort nodded, his patience wearing thin. He didn't care, not in the slightest. He just wanted to see whether or not what happened with the previous test subject would happen again. The last test subject didn't die. And that _was _a breakthrough, especially since every single one so far had.

'But we've added a new ingredient to the potion, my Lord. It was Abraham's idea. He said it could heal the body internally before the other ingredients could harm the body further. We added Phoenix tears.'

Some of the Death Eaters behind the Dark Lord clapped furiously; obviously impressed. But it didn't take much to impress them._ Sheep_, they were nothing but sheep. But if a time ever came when Voldemort lost, he could count the number of people who would stick with him till the end.

Less than ten, maybe.

He wouldn't lose though. He just couldn't.

'Continue then please, Madison. I do not have all day, unfortunately.' A few Death Eaters behind him tittered and snickered, and Lord Voldemort grinned widely.

'Y-yes, my Lord.' She busied herself with cleaning the needle, conjuring some things and vanishing others. Finally though, she seemed ready.

Madison tossed her bushy hair behind her, and then grabbed Kelley's arm. She searched for a few minutes, tapping her bare forearm with the tip of her wand. When the vein, under the surface of porcelain skin, glowed red, she put her long wand down.

'Would you like to administer the potion, my Lord?' she asked politely.

Voldemort took the needle, didn't even wait for her to tell him to go ahead, and pierced the skin with a little more vigour than necessary. The potion shone brightly, even when inside the man's body. It left a warm trail of startling red light.

Romeo Kelley's eyes opened and he gasped, reaching out and moaning under his breath. 'Pl-pl...' he breathed.

Then his body sagged, and he was silent once more.

The room was eerily quiet for at least a minute, before one foolish Death Eater at the back mumbled the words everyone was wondering.

'Is he...'

'No,' Madison answered quietly. All his levels are the same, which is a good thing. But he's asleep.'

'For how long though,' Bellatrix said inaudibly.

Lord Voldemort ignored her, instead staring intently at the body on the bed. He cleared his throat and looked up at Madison. 'Well done Madison.'

'Thank you, my Lord.' No one save Bellatrix noticed the smirk Jeffrey sent her way at the Dark Lord's praise.

And that was when Bellatrix vowed to herself that as soon as Jeffrey's job was done, she would kill the woman. She just had too.

_xo_

'Are you sure?' James asked angrily, as unfolded his clothes and riffled through the small medi-kit Lily had set up for him earlier.

'Yes, I—' Sirius thought carefully for a long moment, muttering under his breath and retracing his steps. Then he groaned. 'Yes, I'm sure Prongs. I took it out of my bag and put it on top of the wardrobe when I saw SJ playing with the stuff inside.'

His son had gotten close to stabbing himself with Trelawney's dagger. And Sirius, like most parents, put it the furthest away from his little munch-kin as he could.

Only, what with accompanying Remus and the others on their moonlight tryst, and watching two wild and testosterone fuelled werewolves fight, and then hastily packing, he'd forgotten to get the dagger back off the wardrobe.

_Trelawney's dagger._

With its venom-filled sterling silver and its uniqueness, he knew that it would be just as hard making another one (if in fact his arm could provide anymore venom) as it would be retrieving the original dagger.

'What are we gonna do?' Sirius's voice was very quiet, almost as though he was _scared _to speak. Beside him, the furiously attractive Italian woman was pacing, and muttering in her mother-tongue.

'The only thing we _can do_ Padfoot,' James said angrily. 'We need to go back there and get it.'

'You're having a fucking laugh.'

'I'm not,' the bespectacled Marauder answered. 'Honest.'

* * *

**A/N: **please review! [I've accidentally posted this chapter twice! I'm so sorry!]


	7. Trickery

**Disclaimer; **I don't own anything but the plot, the OCs and some spells.

**Important Note: **read His Two Paths before you read this, otherwise you won't understand a thing. This is a sequel, after all.

**A/N: **Sorry I've taken so long to update, but this chapter is a lot longer than previous ones, and I'm really happy about it. My exams start tomorrow and I've dedicated hours of my time writing this. I'm so nervous! But as soon as the exams are over, I'll update more. Please make me happy and review this chapter.

Thank you! Enjoy...

* * *

_xoxo_

_7. Trickery_

'We're breaking into Azkaban.'

There were twenty eight of them. So far. Quite a few of the others hadn't received the message: MEET AT HOG'S HEAD.

_Thank you Aberforth! _Remus thought gratefully. He smiled when the old man thumped up the rickety stairs and into the mostly empty room, save the people. There was a sofa in one corner, and a few old chairs.

It was foolish to come to Hog's Head, what with Hogwarts being down the road. But it was the only place they could go. A place everyone knew about. And a place no one would ever suspect.

'I'm sorry,' Lily said coldly, 'I'm not sure I heard you right, Moody.'

His electric eye swivelled to her before the rest of him did, and Alastor smiled most teasingly. 'I'm pretty sure you heard me right. Innocent people are being murdered and kept up there—'

'And I'm all for freeing them! If anything, I want them freed just as much as any of you do. But when there's less than thirty of us, when he haven't got even a _quarter _of the power Voldemort has, it just isn't logical.'

The bossy prefect Lily was shining through; with a face flushed red and hair just _cackling _with electricity, she was not in the mood to be fucked around with. An arm was thrown around her, and she looked up to see Fabian (or was it Gideon?) smiling down at her. James had always absolutely _loathed _how much the twins would flirt with her. But if Lily was honest, she rather liked it.

'She has a point, Moods.'

Moody sighed, running a hand through his mangled, grey hair. Then he growled. 'So you're saying we should just wait until we magically get some reinforcements?' his electric blue eye was boring into Lily's dainty emerald ones.

'No,' Lily sighed. She elbowed Fabian when his hand caressed her back, and walked over to sit beside Remus. 'That's not what I'm saying. I mean we should try and get in contact with those who we _know _haven't received our message, we should construct a proper plan...'

Remus started shaking his head. 'James is going to _kill _me but ... I sort of agree with Lily. We shouldn't ambush, at least, not yet.'

'What d'you _mean _James is going to kill you?' Lily cried. And then her face dropped and she gritted her teeth. 'The sneaky bastard. He's made it out that I can do whatever I want but he's told you to not let me do anything dangerous, right?'

_She always was smart,_ the Marauder thought. Lily shook her head. 'I'll tell you Remus, like I told him. I have a role to play in this war. I have a son who's in danger. I have family to protect. I have every right to fight in this war.'

'I know.' The brown-blond Marauder said softly, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. 'And I agree.'

The room was flooded with light. Fabian's bear patronus raced out of the room, shortly followed by his brother's mountain lion, Frank's hawk and many other animals. They all bore the same message. WE NEED YOU, NOW.

'We need them, now.' Moody explained.

_xo_

Rose held her breath. It was so dark in the tunnel. But Kreacher was leading her, his hold on the leg of her trousers tight and commandeering. Tripping over something else on the ground, Rose swore softly. One hand held Harry's tightly, and the other was preoccupied with cradling her baby boy.

'It's okay baby,' she breathed, kissing Sirius James on the cheek. 'Mummy's here.' SJ never cried, and he wasn't crying. But she couldn't stand the expression on his face; he was so intelligent for a baby.

It was August, and the weather was excruciatingly hot. She could hardly even breathe. 'Where are you taking us?' Rose hissed to Kreacher.

'To the late Master's secret room.' Kreacher sneered. 'Kreacher is to take you there and keep you hidden until Mistresses Cissy and Bella are gone.' His eyes hardened. 'Kreacher is defying his mistresses and masters for Master Sirius's _whore _and _bastard child_—'

If her arms were not full, Rose would have slapped the rude little elf. 'One more _word _out of you about my child, and so help me God I'll rip your fucking tiny head off.' She spat.

Kreacher seemed to be used to threats; he hardly shivered at all. 'Yes, Miss Taten.'

'How much further?' she asked after a moment.

The elf looked at her, eyes trying to find Rose's in the dim underground corridor they were rushing through. 'Kreacher has almost led you to the room.'

Within seconds of the elf talking, they appeared at royal, magnificent looking double doors. Kreacher whispered a spell and the doors were thrown open; showing them a room of beauty, adoration and all things Orion and his wife's relationship had not been.

Barely three metres above, Walburga was inviting her nieces into the drawing room. She kissed the tall, seductive Bellatrix on each of her cheeks, cooing and smiling. Then she turned to Narcissa and beckoned her younger niece forward, giving her the same treatment she had given the other sister. There was another missing ... but she didn't matter.

_Dirty blood traitor._

'You haven't visited in _so _long,' the older woman said in a rumbling voice, signalling for her nieces to each take a seat. 'Would you like tea?' she asked kindly, tucking some black hair behind her ear.

'Yes please, Aunt Walburga.' Narcissa said warmly. They were both dressed quite plainly, in dark blue and black robes, with their hair not of the usual ostentatious, flamboyant standard they had it at. Instead, Bellatrix had a simply neat ponytail and Narcissa had her hair in a long thin braid.

They were dressed the way someone might dress should they expect to be engaged in battle; practical, convenient, simple.

Walburga conjured the teapot from the kitchen and cast a non-verbal Heating Spell on it. The teapot steamed a little. 'Bella, would you like a cup, darling?'

'No thank you, I'd like some wine.' Bellatrix always was clever. She was testing her aunt. Or, rather, she was wondering why _Kreacher _wasn't bringing them the drinks, and Walburga was conjuring them.

'I'm afraid you'll have to wait a bit dear. Kreacher's busy.'

'No, Mistress.' A voice came from the doorway. 'Kreacher is ready to do whatever you shall ask for, Mistress.' He was looking a little worse for wear; eyes wide and clothing creased. 'Kreacher has finished dusting all the bedrooms like Mistress asked.'

Walburga, inside, was sighing in relief. Though the situation wasn't over _yet, _at least Taten was somewhere safe.

No one was _supposed _to know about Orion's secret room. The room where he made love to the woman he _really _loved. She had known, had even _expected _him to cheat on her. But fall in love? Create a room? See the same woman for most of Sirius and Regulus's life?

No, she had definitely _not _expected that. The room was very handsome. It was large, taken up predominantly by a very grand and royal looking oak bed. It also had an en suite bathroom and a chute for Kreacher to fit through and bring things like food.

Walburga knew that if it wasn't for the house elf, she wouldn't even know about the room. Only, she wished she had been informed about it whilst her husband had been alive, and not afterwards.

Most importantly, Walburga wished she knew who he had been cheating with. She had a small suspicion that it was someone close to her; a family friend, a relative ... someone she would never suspect.

'Aunt Walburga?'

'Sorry, dear,' she said, smiling tightly. Clearing her throat, Walburga beckoned Kreacher over, snapping at the elf. 'Get some Elf Mead, Richard's Brew. Three glasses.'

'Yes mistress.' The elf said softly, disapparating with a CRACK, and leaving the room with a strangely quiet atmosphere.

'He's a little lazier than he used to be,' the elder sister commented, chewing on her pouty bottom lip. 'Maybe it's time to—' she made a screeching nails-across-a-blackboard sort of noise, swiping her finger across her neck, head lulling to the side.

'Maybe he is due for an Elf Honoured Amputation. But I think I'll wait until he can't see before I do such a thing. He is, after all, the only reminder of family I have.'

_And my only friend._

'You sure he's the only family here in your house?' Bellatrix asked, raising her body to its full height and smiling widely at her aunt. 'You don't have a ... a _daughter in law _or a _grandson _lurking anywhere, do you?' she was cut off when Narcissa sharply elbowed her, sending her elder sister a look that could melt metal.

'Sorry Aunty, Bellatrix didn't phrase that correctly. What we mean is have you _seen _Taten and her bastard son?' Narcissa took her aunt's hand and held it softly, comfortingly. But Walburga wasn't comforted one bit.

She drew herself, like her niece had, to her full height; chest heaving, eyes widening and lips quivering. 'Are you saying that you believe me to be hiding my son's bastard child and his whore?'

'Not h-hiding, no,' the blonde woman stuttered, 'more like _tricked _into hiding.'

Walburga jumped up just as Kreacher hurried into the room, a bottle in one hand and three glasses hovering beside him. He set them on the table and ran out of the room as fast as he could.

'You would both do well to remember who you are talking to.' The rumbling voice of Walburga Black echoed through the house; loud and clear. And despite their bravery, both younger women _knew _who they were talking to, the head of their family. The most powerful female pureblood there was. 'I would _never _hide his family. He sickens me. And the very existence of his son sickens me. The Mother of his _child _sickens me.'

She lifted her hand and pointed at each of her nieces. 'And you would do well to remember it.' For a minute, Walburga felt like she'd travelled fifteen years back in time, and was telling off her seven year old and six year old sons.

Believe it or not, but there had been a time when Walburga loved her eldest son. She didn't know, and she didn't think she ever would know just when the love turned to hatred. But it didn't matter anymore; she loved the nine month old baby a floor below her.

She already absolutely adored him, with every fibre of her being.

And that was the only thing that mattered.

'I'm sorry if we've offended you Aunty,' Narcissa said kindly, taking the elder woman's hand as she stood up. 'But the Dark Lord, he ordered us to come here and ask you. He said you could be under the Imperius Curse.'

'I'm stronger than a blood traitor and some common Muggle-loving whore!' Walburga cried self-righteously.

'Then you don't mind if we look around the house—' Bellatrix cut in, standing up.

Holding her breath, and praying to _God_ that her nieces wouldn't look thoroughly in the cellar, where the entrance to the escape route was, Walburga nodded.

_Please don't let them find the entrance to the escape route._

The escape route that, if one took a left, would go _straight _to Rose.

To SJ.

'If you must.'

_xo_

'We've got to go.' James said.

'We _can't _Prongs, we just can't,' replied Sirius, running a hand belligerently through his hair, biting his lip, with a face screwed up in anger. 'I'm sorry, so sorry mate.'

'It's not your fault.' The bespectacled Marauder was saying whilst he packed their rucksacks again. Then he turned to face Emanuelle, who had a hand covering her mouth in shock. 'Come on Danté, get dressed, you're coming with us—'

'Like hell she is!' Sirius snapped. 'We can't turn up at hers and demand that she comes with us to the fiery pits of hell or wherever the fuck we're going...'

James turned to him, smiling. 'You're forgetting that she's an incredible dueller, more than incredible. She was the best female dueller in the _whole _of our year. Better than Lily, even. If we're outnumbered, four against two, five against two, we can do it Padfoot. But if it's ten against two? We're fucked. Ten against three however ... I'm more confident about that.'

Sirius ran a hand over his face, chewing on her bottom lip and shaking his head. 'Do you wanna come with us?' he didn't even look at her, didn't even need to.

'Yes.'

Sirius turned to face her, taking her hands. 'Are you _sure, _Emanuelle?'

'Of course. Wait a second; I just need to get dressed.' She took less than five minutes, coming out in a vest (revealing her particularly appetising cleavage) and some knee length shorts. Her fashionable rucksack was thrown onto her back, and her hair was tied up into a messy bun.

'Let's go.' She said.

'I don't think we should go...' Sirius was moaning, wiping her forehead with his hand and tucking his sweat-matted hair behind his ear.

'Shut up Padfoot,' James said, looking at his mirror and calling Remus's name. But a face never appeared. They were probably just busy...

Safe but busy ... right?

'Let's go.'

They left the house, Emanuelle setting Locking Spells after she tipped the whole box of fish food into the tank.

'You hate pets.'

'My fish don't really qualify as pets, they just sit there ... or rather, they just _swim_,' she explained. Then she looked around. 'Fuck, it's hot.'

'I know,' Sirius panted as they exited the house and took off down the long road. The sky was lighter now, which meant it must have been eight or nine. He licked his lips and tasted salt as beads of perspiration rolled down his face, like boulders. Large, heavy boulders, bearing more than he could deal with.

He pulled his top off and threw it to the ground. He didn't care anymore. His skin felt like it was still on fire; this was the hottest summer he'd ever experienced in Britain. Whereas Sirius adored the heat, he wasn't sure if he liked it this time.

'Where are we going?' Emanuelle asked.

'We can't apparate,' said James, 'so we're doing it the way those crackpot Muggles do it. We're travelling by foot. We're getting the bus.'

'I don't like buses.'

'Tough luck babe,' he replied, nudging her with his elbow and cocking his head. 'Come on. I have a feeling the bus is going to come soon. And they only come every twenty minutes...'

'James,' said Sirius, pointing at something behind him. It was the bus coming their way, barely twenty metres from them.

'RUN!'

And they started to run, tearing through the streets and passing many Muggles, who watched in fascination as what simply started out as a run for the bus escalated into a wild race between the two males; testosterone fuelled, wild and full of laughter.

What a mischievous bunch.

They made it, but only just, thanks to the very kind driver who stopped, after watching them run. And whilst Emanuelle confunded the bus driver, Sirius and James hosted a loud, ostentatious but good-natured argument about who won the race.

Everyone on the bus watched the three newcomers: James, with his adorable face and gorgeous eyes, Sirius, oozing beauty and handsomeness, and Emanuelle, in all her stunning glory; well, it was hard not to watch them. They were also the type of people to attract attention, sometimes intentionally, but recently, attention that was definitely attracted accidentally.

There was only one seat available beside an elder Muggle, and after making Emanuelle keep up with _them _for almost a hundred metres of running, she definitely deserved to sit down.

Sirius held her hand whilst she sat down, pretending for a moment that she was _his _girlfriend Rose, and they hadn't split up to hide from Voldemort, and they weren't frightened to death that they might never see each other again.

She was a very comforting influence, Emanuelle was. Sirius had always been close to her. He knew it had, at first, irked Remus up the wrong way during Hogwarts. But he came to accept it, just like Rose had accepted it.

'It still looks fresh,' James murmured, cocking his head at the tattooed initials of "R.A.B." on his chest and his neck in very large, very elegant script.

Sirius touched it, smiling to himself. He remembered getting them and wincing the whole time. But Muggles never did things easy; he had, after all, gotten Muggle tattoos, with soul-sucking needles and tattoo artists with green spiky hair.

'I'm thinking of getting one of SJ's face.' Sirius mused. 'But I don't want to have too many tattoos.'

'Hmm, you know, because you haven't got like fifty roses on your back, a forest scene on your hip, enormous initials and another goddamn flower on your chest.'

Sirius smiled widely at his best friend, before rolling his eyes. 'I was thinking maybe on my thigh...'

Emanuelle giggled, shaking her head at her two friends. She'd been transfixed this whole time on the Muggle she was sitting beside, who was sleeping; dribbling, snorting and snoring all at the same time.

'On your thigh, hmm? So every time you have sex; his face'll be rubbing up against his mummy's butt cheek?'

Sirius winced and shook his head. 'Good point ... maybe my stomach,' Sirius traced the spot just below his navel and then narrowed his eyes when his best friend started grinning mischievously.

'What?'

'Oh, nothing, just you know ... Rose might suck you off, a bit inappropriate if she looks up and sees her baby boy's face hovering inches from her mouth...'

'_For goodness sake! _Maybe I'll just get his name then.'

'Much better,' James laughed, nudging him with his elbow before wiping his brow with the corner of his shirt and panting. 'It's so fucking hot...'

'How long are we gonna be on the bus for?' the beautiful woman asked, scratching her long sweaty neck and tucking damp tendrils behind her ear.

'For quite a while.'

'So buck up,' Sirius laughed.

'And enjoy the ride.'

Emanuelle started shaking her head. Then she signalled Sirius to pass his backpack. 'I want to see more pictures of your son...'

Sirius sighed softly, taking out the bundle of photographs. '_Immobilis!_' he murmured, using wandless magic to freeze the photographs. And now they were normal. Normal Muggle photographs.

'This is the day he called Rose "_Ro_" ...'

_xo_

Albus had the ability to become invisible, without even a charm or a cloak. He preferred this type of magic; magic from the core, the strongest and oldest kind there was.

It was dark and damp, but much better than Azkaban. Carved all over the place were the same symbols; of something that resembled an eye, but Albus knew was _not _an eye.

The Deathly Hallows...

A story for another time.

This was _Nurmengard._

There weren't many Prison Guard Wizards around; just ten, appointed (and paid a heck of a lot of money for such a boring job) to guard the very few high profile German prisoners there were. They were also appointed to take care of another prisoner, who was definitely not German, but instead, one of the Darkest Lords to have ever lived.

Gellert Grindelwald. And if there was _anyone _who knew Albus, it was Gellert. The man was on the highest floor, with his own damn tower.

The ex-Headmaster lazily flicked his wand, throwing open chained doors. He was getting closer. Closer and closer...

And he hasn't seen Grindelwald in _so long _... he almost missed the other man. No, he _definitely _missed the other man.

Albus neared closer and closer to the room. He'd already confunded the two guards at the entrance of Grindelwald's quarters. Now, the only thing standing between the two old men was Albus's heart. His stupid, naïve heart.

He arrived at the bars of the cell door, and was surprised. It was very large, the room. There was a bed that seemed comfortable, a dining table with one lone chair, a large window with an extraordinary view of the hills and moors. And there was one man. Alone. Battered.

Gellert.

Albus didn't realise he said the name until the prisoner turned to face him. They watched each other for a long while, before Gellert grinned. It was obvious that he wasn't used to smiling; his face crinkled up and his mouth didn't quite connect with the action, but his eyes lit up. Wide, but striking and twinkling, Gellert murmured 'Albus.'

Albus threw open the door and stepped into the room, lowering his wand arm.

'Gellert.' It didn't seem right to address _the love of his life _as Grindelwald. It also didn't seem right to not embrace him. They embraced.

And maybe for Gellert it was an embrace of friendship, for Albus it was one of love and lost dreams.

'W-why are you here?' his voice was disused; and the question came out as a croak. They let go of each other reluctantly.

'I want to talk to you.' Albus said quietly. He conjured another chair beside the lone one at the dining table. It was shiny brown. 'Would you like a drink, Gellert?'

'How about some brandy, Al?'

_xo_

There must have been thirty more of them, joining Lily and Remus. They were dirty, covered in sweat, tired, panting.

'Azkaban?' repeated Benjy Fenwick, eyes widening. 'You want to break into Azkaban?'

Moody nodded gruffly, before looking away. 'We need to make a plan now. Because more and more Muggleborns are being killed there and experimented on.'

'W-what d'you mean?'

'The Muggleborns there are being experimented on, used in some sort of way to do something Voldemort wants them to do. We need to save them; from a fate that I'm sure is far worse than death.' Remus explained. He conjured the empty bottles and maybe forty sailed towards him. Using non verbal magic, he arranged them in the air until they resembled the Fortress.

'This is Azkaban. And pretend all the space around it is water. How could we get to Azkaban without attracted attention? Because I'm sure there are people on the look out for us, watching from the prison...'

'We swim.' Fabian clapped his hands together and said in a more jolly voice, 'You want us to _swim _Rem? You're barking.'

'Barking or bloody brilliant. Think about it nitwit,' Frank started, 'if we transfigure ourselves into fish, they won't notice anything different. Maybe they'll think "Ah, there're more fish in the lake than usual, but that can't mean anything". They won't ever assume we'd be stupid enough to swim across Azkaban's lake.'

'_Exactly!_' Gideon chirped, '_stupid enough _... now I think it's a good plan, but a dangerous one. How can almost sixty of us swim across, some of us can't even swim,' he looked at his twin brother and cleared his throat.

'Not all of us are going to go. That would be quite fucking stupid. No, some of us will stay behind. And some others will organise a way to travel from Azkaban with the prisoners, to a safe house,' answered Frank. He turned to face Moody, who was sitting down and sipping on his beer.

'Right Moody?'

'Right.' The older man grumbled. 'Only problem is we _haven't _got anywhere to take them.'

'I have an idea,' Lily's green eyes were sparkling as she smiled mischievously, faint dimples showing. 'Only, it could be a very bad idea.'

'Let's here it.'

_xo_

One of the main reasons they had come straight to Emanuelle's home was because, ironically, it was in Wales, just like the place they had stayed at, before it was infiltrated by Death Eaters. Only, she lived over two hours away.

They were now walking though, and it was almost midday. The sun was at its highest, bearing down on them. Sirius had long since tied his hair up, before they even got on the train. Some black tendrils were matted to his forehead though, and sweat rolled down his pale inked chest.

James had ripped his shirt off, quite literally. Like he was in some sort of action movie, where the hero was expected to spend ten minutes trying and finally managing to rip the thin material off of his body, before finally letting out a triumphant scream.

'It's hotter in Italy, but fuck I'm hot...' Emanuelle panted, already tired from walking down the street. There were many Muggles watching the trio; with their backpacks, absence of shirts in the cases of Sirius and James, and of course, their attractiveness.

'We've been walking for ages,' Sirius moaned.

'What, tired already?' James asked, cocking an eyebrow up and laughing delightfully, despite how out-of-breath he was.

'Shut up, Mr Sweaty Glasses.'

James took off his specs and wiped them with the material of Emanuelle's top, revealing to everyone, unfortunately, her whole stomach. She slapped his hands away and forcefully pulled her top down, glad that none of the Muggles had noticed the wand sticking out from her waistband, and instead were transfixed on the sight of her stomach.

Soon, they were away from the Muggles, and walking lazily up the hill. 'At the bottom of the hill,' Emanuelle told them in a quiet voice, 'is where the forest opening is, right?'

'Yeah,' James huffed.

'Then I think I should change your appearances.' She replied.

'Why?'

'So if we do go past some Death Eaters, we'll have an advantage. And when we don't know how many opponents we're facing, advantages are the only thing we have on our side.'

Emanuelle was a very powerful witch, leaving Hogwarts with nothing lower than an _Acceptable. _Her wand movements were sharp and fast, as she flicked her wand and murmured spells under her breath. Sirius could feel his hair being sucked back into his scalp, his body lengthening, getting thinner.

He turned to face a shorter, red-haired and green eyed James Potter. Sirius could not stop laughing. 'All you need are a pair of tits, then you and Lily would be twins.'

James kicked him. 'You're just jealous I look nicer with your haircut than you do. You suit blond hair though.'

Sticking his tongue out, Sirius slipped the mirror from James's pocket and looked into it. He had bright blond hair, and his eyes were a very pale brown. All his tattoos were gone.

'... give him the glasses, James, you don't need them...' Emanuelle was saying.

Popping the glasses on, Sirius was surprised the find out they strengthened his sight instead of weakening it. Then he noticed the eyebrow and nose piercing.

'You're fucking about.' He examined his left ear, and to his horror, noticed another piercing there.

'We're posing as Muggles mate.' James was saying. 'Besides, you look quite good with an ear piercing. Not sure about the nose one though...'

They really did look like totally different people. But even that wasn't good enough...

'Come on,' said the pretty Italian girl, cocking her head forward. 'This is just an extra precaution. We might not even see any Death Eaters.'

'Yes, _might _not. Come on.' They started walking; golden sun hotter than ever, air humid and choking, sky the palest blue.

_xo_

To say Walburga was insulted was an understatement. The understatement of the year. She was insulted that the Dark Lord was asking her own nieces to search her home. Maybe he was right; she was hiding her grandson and probably-soon-to-be daughter in law. But now she knew that he didn't trust her.

'I'm sorry about Bellatrix, Aunty,' Narcissa said when she reappeared back in the room after half an hour. 'She ... she takes what the Dark Lord orders of her _very _seriously.'

'I'd noticed.' Walburga replied crisply. She loftily turned her head away, examining her nails and trimming them with her wand.

'If it makes you feel better, I knew you would never hide the boy and his Mother.' Narcissa told her Aunt, smiling encouragingly. She leaned in for a hug, and was surprised when she was granted with one, as cold and detached as it was.

They heard Bella before they saw her, face angry yet determined. 'I couldn't find them ... and the Dark Lord was so sure ... Aunty, I'm offering you one last chance, because the Dark Lord _will _find them, do you know where they're hiding?'

Walburga stood up and took slow deliberate steps towards her niece. She tucked a lock of hair behind Bellatrix's ear. It was baking hot in the room. 'I don't know. But I'll be sure to tell you if I find them, or if they come here.'

Shaking her head and sighing, the eldest niece took a step back, snatching her glass of wine from the table and drinking it. 'Well, thank you for having us, Aunty. Would you like me to pass a message on to anyone in particular?'

'Yes.' Walburga said, releasing Narcissa from the death grip hug. 'Tell the Dark Lord I said "Hail your cause, War before Death".'

One of the many mottos Walburga had heard Regulus repeating around the house. Her baby boy.

Bellatrix smiled tightly, eyes flickering to the door. 'Say, before we leave, can I ask you if it's alright for me and Narcissa to quickly check Uncle Orion's secret quarters.'

Walburga, who too had picked up her glass, dropped it. It smashed to the ground, with a _tinkering _sound. 'W-what?' she breathed harshly.

Many feelings were racing through her body. _Fear, emptiness, hatred, anger... _

How did they know? HOW DID THEY KNOW?

'W-what r-room?' she stuttered.

Bellatrix froze; as did Narcissa. They stopped moving. The only noise in the drawing room was their fast breathing, their hammering heartbeats, their fidgeting.

_Play along._

'What room?'

'We thought you knew, Aunty!' Narcissa cried, hurrying forward and seizing her aunt's hands. 'I'm so sorry, we're so sorry...'

'Knew what? What did you ... what...' her voice was hard, icy; Sirius and his younger brother had, after all, inherited their acting abilities from her. Orion was like an open book.

'Don't you know about Orion and Mother?'

'_Druella?_'

No. _No, it couldn't be..._

Could it?

'Y-yes. When we found out, it was too late. Uncle Orion had died. Mother told us before she passed that her and Orion were in love, but you and him were already married with children. They'd been having an affair since Sirius's fifth birthday. Orion had a room built ... I thought you knew...'

Walburga was an incredible actor, really very good. She looked away, but just in time; just so they could see the tears glistening away in her eyes. She made a noise between a sob and a cry.

'Just go...'

'We're so sorry Aunt—'

'GO!' Walburga bellowed, turning to face them, in all her stunning glory; silver eyes twinkling, cheeks flushed, teeth bared. 'Get out.'

Her two nieces didn't wait a single moment longer, quite literally _running _from the room. Walburga didn't give a sigh of relief until she heard the front door slam.

The tears that continued to fall after their hasty exit, however, were real. _Druella, her sister in law? Her supposed best friend?_

Orion had cheated on her with Druella?

Kreacher came into the room, breathing carefully. 'M-Mistress?' he asked. 'K-Kreacher didn't know, Kreacher swears he didn't know...'

'I know, Kreacher. Just bring the children and Taten. Hurry.'

He fled from the room. The drawing room held many memories for Walburga. It was where she'd blasted Sirius's name off the tapestry; where she'd found out about Orion's death; her baby boy being found, mutilated; about her husband's affair; the first time she'd seen her grandson...

It held too many memories for one person. A few good memories, but so much bad...

The first time Sirius had walked, talked, the very room Regulus had been born in...

She stood up and touched, tentatively, the very large colour portrait of her two sons, when they had been barely a few years old.

Walburga heard the cries before she saw Taten, arms full of children, and tears of total terror. She was clutching the children, like they were her life line.

'Th-thank y-y-you,' she hiccupped, 't-thank you s-so m-much.' And before Walburga knew it, the young girl had quite literally _thrown _herself at her son's grandmother. Harry bit Walburga on the shoulder, and SJ pulled her hair, but she wouldn't have had it any other way.

'I'll protect you...'

_xo_

'There's no one here,' Sirius said angrily. 'Now get these goddamn spells off me. I feel like a totally different person.' Just as Emanuelle got into reversing the spells, Sirius quickly said, 'But leave the ear piercing. I think it kinda suits me.'

James started laughing, removing all of his spells and standing taller, and with black hair before them. 'It really does Padfoot. Say, d'you think Lily would be annoyed if I got one?'

'Definitely,' Emanuelle and Sirius said in unison, grinning at each other.

They looked around. They were just outside the opening to the Training Camp. It was intimidating. There was blood on the ground, but luckily no dead bodies. Instead, there was a heap of them a few hundred metres away, with freshly burned corpses and what not.

_Disgusting._

'Come on. Time for you two to lead the way.' Emanuelle said. The group hurried inside, and soon, Sirius was navigating the meandering paths and routes, trying to find his room, but commentating whilst walking past some of the rooms. He acted like he was giving a tour. 'That's where much lovemaking between Lils and Prongs took place. I think Harry's baby sibling, if not for the Death Eaters, could have been conceived in there.'

Emanuelle threw her head back and laughed. 'Interesting. Very interesting. Now, where did the magic take place between you and Rosie?'

'That's disclosed information. I can tell you however that SJ was in that room right there when he said _Ro _to his mummy. Smart boy, isn't he?'

The place was a wreck. The walls were crumbling; the floor had scorch marks on it from where spells had been misfired, and dried blood coated the ground. Furniture was either half burned or completely destroyed.

'Where is the dagger then?' asked the Italian woman.

'On the wardrobe in my room,' explained Sirius, looking sharply away from the devastation around him and instead focusing on trying to locate his room. He forgot how big the place was, and he'd only spent a day and a half away.

It looked totally different. It looked so hurt, so destroyed. When at last, he found his and Rose's room, he stared at it. There were no signs of destruction or damage; in fact, it looked the exact same. Pillows and sheets rumpled in the same way, rubbish still littering the floor, some of Harry's toys scattered. He smiled tightly. That was a good thing; it meant that the dagger should still be—

'Got it,' James said, dagger in one hand and rucksack in the other.

'Good.' Sirius sighed. 'Come on then, let's—' he was thrown back, slamming his head on the cabinet beside the bed. 'What the—'

They were watching him like he was a meal, like he was the greatest gift there was. 'Sirius Black,' one of the werewolves whispered. 'You're...' he was cut off however when Emanuelle quite literally _fly kicked _him, and he sailed into the air, where James was waiting to curse him.

The werewolf's scream echoed through the air; it was painful to listen to. Three more werewolves hurried in the room. First, freezing with shock. Then, sinking into their duelling stances.

Suddenly James realised the error of his ways. Maybe Voldemort's followers had been waiting _inside _the Training Camp. Maybe they had been left behind, to see if anyone would come back after a few days.

And barely a day later, and they'd not only found _James Potter, but Sirius Black too! _

A Sirius Black who was supposed to be dead.

Spells flew back and forth between the werewolves and the trio of friends. Sirius was still dazed; his head aching from the fall. But he was vicious. It was like all the pent up energy inside him was just _begging _to come out. And it did come out.

His magic was non verbal, giving him a split second advantage. He danced from the spells thrown at him and conjured shields to protect him and his friends.

But how did the werewolves know how to fight using magic? They were excluded from Wizarding Society. They weren't allowed wands. Unless Voldemort was providing them with wands, luring them into his trap, using magic and knowledge as a means to get the werewolves on his side. The clever bastard.

'EXPULSO!' bellowed the silver eyed man, and he watched in satisfaction when the man he was duelling was thrown back. But he stood up moments later, grin on his face, and positively _beaming._

One of the werewolves on the other side of the room was crying _call the Dark Lord! _whereas another was ... another was running, dashing out of the room, faster than lightening, and getting away.

'Shit! No! No!' cried James, and he pushed the werewolf he was duelling as hard as he could, before tearing through the corridors and halls to catch the escaping man. He couldn't let the dark haired man get away, he just couldn't.

Because if he got away, than Sirius's secret got away. And they needed Sirius's secret. They relied on it. Without the whole world thinking he was dead, they would never get away with what they hoped to achieve.

Destroying Lord Voldemort.

James was fast, very fast. Sirius was a better long-distance runner, and Remus was just fast altogether. But out of all the _normal humans _that had been in his year, James took the floor when it came to sprinting. He was sure if Remus hadn't been a werewolf, then he wouldn't be faster.

He ran up the steps to the opening of the camp three at a time and crawled through, throwing himself into the sunlight, panting heavily.

The werewolf was mere metres away.

'STUPEFY!' he yelled, voice echoing dangerously.

The spell missed. It was like everything was happening in slow motion. The sharp fingernails almost pierced the skin when the werewolf's digits slammed down on his forearm, touching his mark. He threw his head back and laughed low.

His mark glowed darker.

'No,' James breathed, and then he cried 'STUPEFY!' once body dropped, wand falling to the floor and head lulling to the side. He was stunned. But that didn't mean anything.

_They knew! Now all of them would come and see Sirius! And if they didn't see him, they would hear of him! _

What could James do? What could he do to make sure the secret stayed a secret!

Almost automatically, his hand went to his back pocket, where the golden instrument was buried, deep under a bundle of other things.

The Time Turner.

James didn't wait. He pulled the gorgeous gold chain out and threw it over his head, where it fell to his sweat-glistening chest. Picking the small clock up with one hand, he turned the crown, adjusting it.

_One hour._

This was a weird time turner. There were days too. But all he needed was an hour. If he was going to break the law, he was going to do it as legally as he could.

It felt like James was being thrown into the air as he was sucked into a black hole, the Time Turner's black hole. He landed with a thud.

* * *

**Another Note: This has been UPDATED as of Monday 10th December, thanks to a major flaw pointed out by a Guest reviewer.**

**A/N: **I think the ending isn't that good, but I hope you've liked this chapter and the introduction of Gellert Grindelwald. I'd like to thank the people who reviewed the previous chapter! I really appreciate it! Thank you!

I've also got to ask a big question to all of you: do you think the main characters on the properties of this story should be Sirius B. and- Voldemort, James or Remus. I'm not sure which one of the last three I should make it. I'd love the help to decide who it should be on the properties.

Anyway, thanks for reading, please review this chapter.


	8. The Fortress

**A/N: **I really recommend reading parts of the previous chapter, just to jog your memories, if you've forgotten what happened in the last chapter; how the Order planned to break into Azkaban, how James couldn't stop the werewolf in time, who had spotted Sirius, and also about Dumbledore being with Grindelwald.

Check out my new story _Few Beautiful Friendships, _which is a story set in Hogwarts during the Marauder era, where it shows what would have happened in Sirius switched to Slytherin in sixth year to help bring Voldemort down by acting as a spy.

I'm so sorry for the late update, I've just had so many things to do and I was suffering with a bit of writers' block for this chapter. Please enjoy!

* * *

_It felt like James was being sucked into a black hole, the Time Turner's black hole._

_xoxo_

_8. The Fortress_

He slammed down to the ground; disorientated, shaking and twitching. James had never travelled before using a Time Turner; it was incredibly unsettling. James barely had a moment to tuck the golden instrument into his trouser pocket before his head snapped up and he heard people coming noisily through the trees and bushes.

Had the trio really been so loud? He hadn't noticed at the time...

Ducking behind one, James held his wand tightly in his hand. Emanuelle was brilliant; James couldn't even tell that Sirius was actually Sirius. He looked like a different person; piercings and all. It really was brilliant.

'Come on...—' Emanuelle was saying, 'time for you two to lead the way...'

James snuck another look and sighed in relief when he saw his past-self disappearing into the opening of the Training Camp. All was going well then, right?

It was barely audible; the sound of breathing, maybe fifteen minutes later. Then he saw them, the group of werewolves. They were quiet and obviously very well trained.

James was slow; his reactions having lessened in the fifteen minutes of inactivity.

He bit his lip and watched the scene carefully unravel. They started arguing. 'Should we go in straight away Kendrick?' asked one of the younger werewolves, looking pointedly at the elder man who seemed to be the head of the whole mission.

'No ... let's catch them off guard. Wait ten more minutes. I knew they'd come back. I told Mr Greyback, what did I tell him?'

'He'll reward you, that's for sure!' grinned the strawberry blond one.

James bit his lip. He had to come up with a plan quick, that was for sure. If he stunned one of them, the others would still know where they were there. Death Eaters would be summoned, maybe even Voldemort, and then where would they be? They couldn't apparate without being tracked down. So the Ministry would know where they were regardless, right?

It'd be like catching snitches in a broom cupboard. Easy. No, they needed to erase the memories of them first and stop any of the werewolves from summoning the Death Eaters. If they could just get out of the country in the next few days then all would be perfect. But if they were still in the same county or city and Voldemort knew about them?

They were _dead_...

Most importantly, they could not know about Sirius, _never_.

'I think we should go in now...' Kendrick said, and before James knew it, they were running in. The fight took longer than he anticipated it would take to start. He could hear the grunts and screams; the spells colliding and furniture being tossed mindlessly around the room. He winced when he heard his own shout of pain.

'Shit! No! No!' travelled from near the mouth of the entrance, in James's own voice, and he cringed; it was time now. One chance to not bollocks things up.

_Good luck Prongs!_ he thought bitterly. James was on the opposite side from his slightly younger self and the werewolf. It was perfect. If he shot a spell now, they wouldn't be able to see him. Before he knew it, he heard a spell being called, 'STUPEFY!' but the spell missed and crashed into the bushes behind him.

James, the future version that is, licked his lips and whispered in a quiet voice, 'Confundus!' and with the true aim of a chaser; it hit the werewolf in the back. It looked as though the werewolf pressed the mark, but he didn't. He missed by a few centimetres thanks to the Confundus Charm.

The past-James didn't know that though; to him, it looked as if the werewolf had pressed his mark. With a sharp and panicked Stunning Spell, the werewolf fell to the floor.

The same scene as before acted itself out; the past version of James Potter turned the Time Turner and disappeared with a sucking noise after looking around worriedly.

Emerging from the cover of the trees, and looking down at the immobile body of the Death Eater, James ran a hand over his face. He hoped it was enough.

'Did you get him?' a soft voice asked from the mouth of the entrance. It was Emanuelle, Sirius behind her and holding her hand tight.

'I think so.'

'We've erased all of their memories,' Padfoot explained, 'they won't remember a thing when they wake up. Do the same to this guy.'

'Obliviate.' A sift of gold left the man's temple, evaporating into the air. 'Done.' James said.

Sirius sighed in relief, but then seemed to remember something. 'We need to get the fuck out of here, we've got the dagger. But I don't think we should stay in Wales—'

'Where could we go then?' Emanuelle asked irritably.

Sirius grinned. 'Well, I'm missing my son and girlfriend really quite a bit...'

'For fuck's sake Sirius.'

'First though,' Sirius said softly, we have some stuff to do, like setting up false trails. We should spend two or three days on that. When these werewolves wake up, they're gonna be ravenous for our blood. Let's make it challenging for them.'

_xo_

_~five days later~_

Like tides, they swam furiously; the air groaning around them, water crashing, and the fish determinedly racing ahead. There were twenty five of them; the strong, willing attack team. Another fifteen would soon come to help transport the prisoners to a place to stay; the Potter manor, disused, large and just waiting for them.

It was _perfect_.

Already, some of the others were waiting patiently for the return of the imprisoned. But if need be, they would fight their way over and help out their friends. But only if need be.

Just like Remus had predicted, no one noticed the few dozen fish, being led by Frank, Benjy and the Prewetts, swimming across the lake. Remus was bringing up the rear, making sure everyone was safe.

The ones who couldn't swim (Fabian made it seem as though he didn't want to come, but Gideon had already told everyone his twin couldn't swim) were waiting at the dock, under Disillusionment Charms and waiting, poised, for either an attack or an onslaught of sick, injured prisoners needing help.

There were twenty of them, or thereabouts. They were ready; strong, prepared and so very ready. Nothing was going to surprise them.

The fish flocked (can fish even flock?) to the coast of the tyrannical harsh building. It was black all over, but if one looked at the topmost tower of Azkaban, they would see lights and might even be able to hear over the screaming prisoners, the laughter of the Death Eaters.

This was their home now. And you know how they say homes reflect the people within ... Azkaban reflected the Death Eaters very clearly. Darkness, shadows, evil lurking at every corner...

Finally, the first wave of fish flopped to the coast of the miniature island. It was wandless magic, showing just how advanced and skilled each witch and wizard was; within seconds they had transformed into people. The last to transform was Remus, and he immediately set out to look for Lily, throwing an arm protectively around his sister in almost every way and flicking his eyes up to the tallest tower where the Death Eaters lived. There were some on guard of course, it'd be foolish of them not to be.

But the Order was positioned so perfectly that no one could see them. Directly under the tallest turret, concealed in the vast shadowed darkness.

'Don't worry Moony,' Lily said softly, 'we're ready for them.'

Each member of the Order had a wand out, poised and ready to strike. Moody was the commander. Surprisingly, he could swim, perhaps better than each of them.

Though he had an injured leg, his arms were in top notch, ploughing through the tides.

'Okay,' the aged Auror said, his voice the softest it had ever been, 'you know the plan. We know Azkaban inside out, thanks to the blueprints and maps. The only thing we do not know is where the Death Eaters are stationed, if they are in fact even expecting there to ever be a break in.'

'Probably not,' murmured Gideon, elbowing Frank and grinning with him.

Moody's walking stick was out and hitting the gingery blond twin quicker than any of them could comprehend. Gideon gritted his teeth, barely managing to contain the whine he wanted to release. Moody smirked at him. 'None of that hotheadedness, you arse.' He shook his head and turned back to face everyone, greyish hair matted to his forehead due to the water he hadn't managed to shake off.

'We'll go in there, concealed as planned. Kill only if necessary, but try your hardest to just focus on the prisoners. The innocent people. Get them out, as quick and safely as you can.'

There was one way out, and even then it wasn't really a way out. A cat could fit inside the hole in the wall.

It was astonishingly easy, Remus pondered carefully. He thought it'd be a lot harder, but so far everything had gone to plan. Then again, had they been human on the dock opposite Azkaban where they had transformed into fish, they definitely would have been spotted and executed. And of course, there were enchantments on the water to expel humans.

But the humans hadn't been human.

Quite the opposite.

They decided Hestia Jones would be transfigured into a cat. She had stealth even Voldemort would envy. Hestia was tiny, at five foot exactly; she was often the target of much bullying in the Order, as good natured as it was.

Within seconds, she was inside and back into her human self. Hestia winked at them, whispered a spell, breathed another and the "Burial Doors" opened. Burial Doors ... the Dementors used them to carry the dead and bury them.

It was all very handy; as if Azkaban, in that moment, so desperately wanted them to break in. They went in pairs of two, Lily and Remus instinctively seeking one another out again. Remus would be damned if he let anything happen to Lily, and feared the consequences, just as Lily feared the consequences of ever letting danger come Remus's way. She loved him too much.

'The younger ones are kept on the higher floor, as well as the most dangerous. Be careful.' Moody breathed before he disappeared. They didn't know what his job was, but it certainly seemed frightening.

_'Expecto Patronum's_ echoed all around Lily, like a canon, one after the other. Rather belatedly, she non-verbally thought the spell, and a positively gorgeous doe burst out of the tip of her wand. It galloped, paused to sniff, and then stampeded off. Instantaneously, the shadows lessened in density and darkness thanks to the dozen patronuses.

Lily was grateful of her group: her, Remus, Gideon, Frank, Hestia and Benjy. They were, of the attack team, the youngest. But that didn't mean for a second that they were weak or easily beaten. It just meant that they contained the youthful spirit many of the elders were lacking.

Oh, but the spirit would leave them soon. If the war did not end, the spirit flickering and fighting inside them would soon leave. And then where would they be? Hateful and filled with vengeance at watching so many of their friends die; that's where.

'We're going to break everyone on the second floor out, okay?' murmured Remus, holding up his illuminated wand and flicking his eyes every few seconds from corner to corner. Each noise, whether a particularly wheezy inhale or even just a footstep too loud had the group poised, curses dancing on their tongues.

It was two minutes later when they finally heard them. Yes, heard the prisoners. They were quite young, at least twenty years old, if not younger.

The prisoners were dirty; dressed in ragged, ripped clothing. With shreds of material to keep them warm in the worryingly cold prison, they shivered even in their slumber.

The Dementors were absent, not a single one in sight. It was worrying. They should be there. They should be everywhere...

Remus shook his head. He shouldn't care, he should just focus on the fact that they were safe and in and doing their task. He hadn't even noticed Lily and the others opening cells as quietly as they could, beckoning and even physically dragging prisoners out of their cells. Lily carried with her a young stumbling woman, brown hair and rosy cheeks (Remus was surprised she had any colour in her left).

When about half of the prisoners were freed from their cells; lining up in uncoordinated, fumbling lines, that's when the breeze came. Like winter had arrived; chilling to the bones, air turning white, bodies trembling from the freezing wind blowing in. They could hardly even breathe.

'Dementors,' gasped Benjy, and without a word, he threw up his eagle patronus and cried the incantation again, the eagle growing larger and brighter than before; flying fiercely at the approaching mass of black. In the distance, Remus could hear crying; someone was screaming loudly, shouting after a man named_ Fenrir_...

Remus knew immediately that there was a Dementor behind him, from the memory of The Bite racing through his head: his Mother's shrieks, his Father's sprinting footsteps from the scene after the werewolf, screaming profanities and heartbroken moans. It was one of the saddest, if not the saddest day of Remus's life, and a tell-tale sign of when Dementors were near.

Because the memories only ever came when_ the darkness_ was near.

_xo_

There was a knock on the door; demanding and quick. Kreacher grumbled, threw down his dishcloth (he'd just been cleaning the stove for the eleventh time that week) and hurried to answer the door. Mistress Black didn't like it when the door was left unanswered for longer than a minute or two.

Kreacher swung open the door and jumped back from shock. He was confronted with three beaming faces; one of his old master, another of a blood traitor and the last of a dirty half-blood; undeniably beautiful but with unclean blood. And having unclean blood automatically made you hideous, right?

'M-Master Si-Sirius,' stuttered Kreacher, more out of shock than anything else. He bit his lip, shaking his head in disbelief. 'W-what are is Master Sirius d-doing here?' he asked worriedly.

Sirius didn't even answer the house-elf, pushing past him and all but running through the corridors. It was much messier, with socks discarded and a little bit of crayon on the walls, but it felt like a little more like a home for perhaps the first time ever.

Sirius could hear the shocked exhale his Mother uttered when she saw his face, but he didn't care. He ignored her. She didn't matter. Instead, he looked at Rose, broke into a wide smile and threw himself at her, wrapping his bare arms tightly around her curvy body and moulding her against him. He kissed her hair and her cheeks and lips, all the while murmuring, 'I love you, Rose.'

The others entered the room whilst Sirius and his girlfriend were snogging rather aggressively, hands pinching and groping body parts, moans vibrating in the air around them. But then Sirius broke away with a low groan when he felt something holding onto his leg. He looked down and to his great delight saw that SJ had crawled all the way over by himself! Better yet, he was grinning widely at his daddy.

'Oh baby,' Sirius said whilst James and Rose acquainted themselves warmly. He grabbed his son almost roughly from the floor, kissed his lips, threw him in the air and caught him in a tight hug. SJ squealed happily, drooling over himself and pulling at his Father's hair.

'SJ,' Sirius murmured, 'I missed you so much baby,' he said before looking up when he heard a shocked sigh. Emanuelle was standing there, an expression of utter happiness on her face as she hugged her friend tightly. Sirius jerked his head towards her and said, 'This gorgeous bird is Emanuelle, your mum's best friend and your godmother.'

As if he understood, the young boy looked at her, broke into a smile and beckoned her over. Sirius handed his son to his friend and watched with a fond smile as Emanuelle checked him over, admiring every inch of his skin and crooning the whole time under her breath, 'You striking little boy.'

James came back into the room, having left before and gone by unnoticed, but he looked very worried. 'Where's Harry? He's not in the kitchen or the cupboard under the-'

'Prog!' cried a voice, and James whizzed around, barely bracing himself for the boy cannonballing towards him. He grabbed his son, made an embarrassing noise in the back of his throat and squeezed Harry as tight as possible.

Watching the scene fondly, Sirius bit his lip. It had taken a few days (four or five) to get to Grimmauld Place, but many things were done along the way. Emanuelle decided it was too risky to get home; James and Sirius had explained to her that once the werewolves woke up, they would go to the Death Eaters, saying that they had no recollections of the last few hours, that they were injured and hurt and they didn't know how or why. Death Eaters, as cruel and cold as they were, would surely link it to the Order.

So no, Emanuelle was definitely safer with them. Besides, she wanted to come. She enjoyed danger. Most importantly, she was dying to see her best friend and her godson.

'You could at least greet me,' a disdainful and almost angry voice snapped from the other side of the room. They all looked up to see Mrs Walburga Black, standing there, all stoic and cold, waiting impatiently for some sort of recognition.

Sirius eyed her carefully and walked over to Rose, wrapping his arms around her but not for one moment lifting his eyes away from his Mother. He opened his mouth and began to talk, very slowly and very carefully. 'What do you want me to say, Mother?'

'Good morning? Thank you for protecting my girlfriend, son and godson from Bellatrix and Narcissa, thank-'

'What?' Sirius whispered, turning to face Rose. 'What happened?'

Her expression changed almost instantly. She wasn't smiling. Rose eagerly accepted her son from her best friend and looked down at him, pecking his cheek. 'They came … looking for us...'

'W-wh … h-how did...'

'Your Mother hid us in your daddy's playroom.' She heard James stifle a laugh and glared at him; this was no laughing matter. Despite this, Rose grinned a little. 'I went through the drawers whilst I was there. The stuff your daddy used to play with...'

'Please stop calling him daddy or else I think I might vomit everywhere.' The other man said, pretending to gag. 'He's awful, he is. I never knew he had … hmm, guess you didn't like that much did you Mother? That he was fucking someone else.'

She chose to ignore what he said, and instead answered with, 'I don't care much. I think it's the who he was doing rather than what he was doing that matters most. Druella's the whore he was sleeping with.'

Sirius's hand flew to cover his mouth, but the word, 'Fuck,' echoed around the room anyway. 'You're lying? Her? But she's foul!'

'Exactly what I was saying to Kreacher a few days ago when I found out. Don't worry. I played my role well. They didn't suspect a thing. But I wouldn't put it past them to be a little weary at most.'

It was on the verge of Sirius's tongue to at least thank his Mother, but he despised her. The way he despised pepper flavoured beans and the way he loathed how he could feel what Voldemort felt sometimes.

He simply looked at her, then down at his son, and then at his girlfriend. Sirius didn't much like the term girlfriend because it seemed far too inadequate a word to call the woman he'd knocked up and had a kid with. The woman he's been with for a quarter of his life; on and off, guaranteed, but there in each other's hearts.

'Let's go upstairs,' Sirius murmured in her ear, kissing the side of her face and pecking her ear lobe. 'Without SJ...'

Rose grinned widely at him. She tucked her short hair behind her ear and nodded. Wordlessly, SJ was placed into the arms of his Uncle "Prog" as the couple joined hands and walked out of the room.

Exchanging menacing smirks, James and Emanuelle started laughing. 'Someone's getting some loving soon...'

'And thank god for that,' the bespectacled Marauder mutters under his breath, so only the pretty Italian could hear, 'I'm sick of waking up to the sound of Sirius wanking.'

_xo_

_'Incurable...'_

_'- no point of him still living...'_

_'...quit now whilst you're still young...'_

Remus let out an anguished cry and thrust his wand into the air, bellowing the spell and watching as a crystal clear patronus, vibrant and bright, burst from the tip and roared its canine roar, as it charged at the mass of black; the Dementors.

'-there's too many of them!' Gideon was crying out, slashing his wand through the air. 'We _need_ to get them out!'

' LILY! LILY, YOU NEED TO GO! TAKE THE PRISONERS AND GO!' bellowed the half Italian, eyes bulging as he thrust his wand and controlled his wolf patronus, throwing it at Dementor after Dementor.

Lily was shaking her head though, directing the prisoners to the other direction and pleading with them to walk faster. 'WE NEED BACK UP MOONY!' she cried loudly, but then her voice dropped a few decibels and whispered in a frightened voice, 'we need to get them out, but we can't, the Dementors are everywhere.'

A patronus, sent from the tip of Hestia's wand, charged and ran out of the room, scattering the Dementors and sending a plea for help to the others.

The Dementors were coming in great numbers; maybe because they sensed the most danger there, or maybe because they were sent.

Yes, sent there. Because walking up to Remus and the others was a group of Death Eaters; three, standing strong and tall. It was Crouch, Rabastan Lestrange and his sister-in-law, Bellatrix.

She didn't even say something witty or rude like she so usually did; her face instead contorted into one of loathing and anger as she threw spell after spell at the others. It was like Lily was dancing; jumping from side to side in hopes that she would deflect all the spells going towards the innocent Azkaban prisoners.

She did deflect them; but clumsily, and only just by chance. 'WE NEED TO GET OUT!' Lily cried at the top of her lungs. Before she knew it, Gideon was crying, 'MAXIMUM BOMBARDA!' and the walls burst open, revealing a stairway they knew existed thanks to the maps Moody had provided for them.

'GO! GO NOW! I'LL HOLD THEM OFF! LILY, GO!' Remus shouted, his wand jerking left and right, bright charged spells bursting from the tip.

Even though every fibre of her being wanted to stay and fight with her friends, she knew that she needed to go now, and save the others. They were already running out of the gap, a patronus leading them and battling through the Dementors, coming out victorious.

'COME ON!' Lily shrieked, forcibly helping to push the prisoners through the hole in the wall to the stairs. Her red hair, like blood, swung from her shoulders as she dashed from side to side, eager to get everyone out.

Hestia Jones led them, as sturdy as ever, through the broken wall and down the stairs to the shore, Lily following after her. They had already arrived; the back-up wizards and witches were people like Peter, Fabian and Jade, a half-blood and half Chinese new Order member, and the current girlfriend of Fabian.

It stood tall, the boat that is. Like a strong, unmoveable animal; controlling and frightful. Other recruits from the boat were shooting spells at the Death Eaters spilling out of the Azkaban walls, and the Dementors sweeping towards them.

_'EXPECTO PATRONUM's_ were echoing through the air, _'PROTEGO's_ rippled like waves and 'CRUCIO's_ were bellowed _from the utmost tower._  
_

Back at the top, Remus, alongside Moody and Frank and the others, was fighting his way admirably through the waves of monsters, Dementors and Death Eaters alike, coming his way. They still had about thirty prisoners to evacuate, and had lost two of their friends already. But they were friends prepared to die to free dozens, save dozens.

Hestia Jones came sprinting back and defended the other set of now fifteen prisoners ready to be put on the ship. 'COME ON!' she roared to the sick, stumbling people.

'Hestia! Hestia! Hurry!' Remus cried to her. He couldn't hold off the other Death Eaters for much longer, he was too tired and had little energy left.

_Fifteen prisoners left to evacuate._

Lily arrived, waiting and ready to get the last few. The ship was ready, the Dementors were banished from the shore, due to the radiant corporeal patronuses protecting it.

'LET'S GO FRANK, MOODY, REMUS! THEY'RE ALL GONE! WE HAVE TO LEAVE NOW!' Benjy roared, before he turned, and without another word, fled from the scene, faster than any of them had even anticipated.

It was going to work! It was going to work! They did it! They saved them!

Remus practically dropped on all fours at the threshold of the boat and watched with amazement as Fabian dragged him on board as the ship simultaneously delved into movement; vanishing from Azkaban faster than any of them could comprehend.

_They had done it! They had saved them!_

_xo_

Sirius's head rested on her stomach, and he traced the small collection of tattoos there; his name, written in tiny font under her belly button, the new addition of their son's name, or rather, his initials, and a little star sealing the names of her family.

He kissed the small crevasse in her skin and inhaled her scent; purely and only her. A scent of young babies, fragrance and baby powder. It was beautiful.

Rose was running her fingers through his hair, barely shorter than hers, and kissed the tips of his long locks, murmuring sweet nothings under her breath, like 'I love you,' and 'You're so beautiful,'.

When Sirius's pants subsided, he crawled back up so their faces were even, and he leaned forward to kiss her passionately; as if they'd been apart for years, and not days. So much had passed between them; so much hatred and dishonesty. But they were soul mates if there was even such a thing. It was written in the stars, in nature, for them to be together. And maybe Sirius was thinking a little too romantically, a little too hopelessly, but he could feel it. Feel something with Rose Taten that he could never feel with anyone else.

'That was fun,' she murmured under her breath. 'Ready for another go?'

'Ready and willing, but I want to see my son. Chat to him for a bit, or rather … talk to him and watch him stare blankly back.'

Rose laughed. 'Okay.' Within fifteen minutes, they were changed, less dishevelled and a little less out of breath. Walburga wasn't in the drawing room anymore, but somewhere else, maybe even out the house. Sirius didn't care at all though. He hated his Mother.

Hate wasn't even a _strong_ enough word to cut it.

James was in the lounge with his son, talking quietly to him and holding him tight. Emanuelle sat on the opposite sofa, bouncing her godson on her lap and conversing in soft tones to him. Everyone looked up when the pair of star-crossed lovers entered the room.

James made some rude hand gestures that Harry eagerly repeated, Emanuelle smiled knowingly at them and SJ opened his arms, beckoning them forward and crying nonsense words at them.

'Hello baby,' Sirius whispered softly to his son, lifting him from Emanuelle's lap and kissing him square on the forehead. 'Did you miss me?'

The little boy couldn't do more than gargle; Harry however clapped and said eagerly, 'Unc' Baddy!'

'I take that as a yes,' the handsome Black said, smirking at his godson and blowing him a kiss with his free hand.

'I missed you,' Rose called out softly, but then she leaned over to kick James when he himself replied, 'I think it was your package Padfoot, that she missed more than anything else really-'

Sirius thanked the Lord when he handed over his son seconds before he collapsed to the ground. He hadn't collapsed in months … it wasn't returning, was it? His sight inside the Dark Lord, it couldn't return! It just couldn't! _Right?_

_xo_

_'Avada Kedavra!' the Dark Lord cried, and the Death Eater, the one who was on main patrol, dropped dead to the ground. It was an abomination, that unprepared and against a huge number of Death Eaters, the Order of the Phoenix still managed to break out the WHOLE DAMN POPULATION OF PRISONERS! Of Mudbloods and half-bloods and blood traitors!_

_'My L-Lord, i-it was a-an ac-accident-'_

_'AVADA KEDAVRA!' cried Voldemort. His scarlet eyes, redder than blood, glistened with fury and anger. He wasn't having any of it today. Just because Sirius Black was dead, just because they were gaining more and power, did not mean things couldn't get bad. If anything, it meant things would get harder and harsher._

_Which was why they needed to be careful, cautious, cunning…_

_'How did this happen?' his voice was softer than a breeze, barely even audible. The Death Eaters concentrated harder than ever before to not miss a single word he was saying. 'How?'_

_Bellatrix was eager to please. She quite literally threw herself on the floor, forehead brushing the tips of her master's robes. She looked up, tears brimming in her eyes. _

_'My L-Lord,' she stuttered, 'they s-swum, transfigured as fish. We didn't s-see them. The w-wards don't d-detect animals. Once t-they were inside, th-the only thing s-stopping them were the Dementors. B-but strong patronuses were cast, and they were d-defeated. W-when we came, t-they were already escaping.'_

_'Crucio,' breathed Voldemort. His spell connected with Bellatrix, and her screams rung through the air. When Voldemort lifted the spell, without even missing a beat, she sobbed as she kissed the tips of his robes._

_'S-s-sorry m-my L-Lord,' she stuttered, her voice quaking with determination to hold back the tears threatening to well over._

_'You're forgiven,' he replied after a long moment of hesitation. 'Line up for your punishment,' he said to the others._

_And they all did. They all really did line up, waiting for their cruel punishment._

_xo_

Romeo Kelley.

Brave, strong and courageous. He lay, worse than the others, on the bed. It was pure chance that he had been deposited in his cell back in Azkaban, the first time he had been back in the main body of the prison since Bellatrix collected him to be used in experimentation. He was shaking whilst Lily Evans mended and healed him using Dittany and spells. He cried out when she came to his battered, bruised and still-bleeding forearm.

'Pl-pl...' he was delirious; hardly able to breathe, let alone talk.

'Shhh, it's alright, I'm here to help you, please, stop moving...' she was replying, trying ever so gently to calm him, but failing miserably.

He cleared his throat and started to speak in a very slow, deliberate but careful voice. 'Are they all out?'

Lily nodded eagerly, 'All the ones we could find.'

'Good. I d-don't want a-any more ...' he shook his head passionately, 'no one else to go t-through what I w-went through.'

Lily froze and stopped doing what she was doing. 'W-what did you go through Romeo?'

Another girl had told her the handsome man's name. Romeo Kelley; a graduate from Hogwarts and a ruddy good student and wizard, by the looks of it. He was a muggleborn, and therefore, by Voldemort's standards, a _disease_ to the Wizarding World.

He shivered, and his kind eyes were dark, scarred and showed the shadows within; the shadows he had faced in Azkaban. 'H-he … the D-Dark Lord … he's e-experimenting on us...'

'Why?' Lily breathed back.

'He wants t-to take all of o-our p-power out of us … transfer it i-into himself...'

Lily dropped the bottle of Dittany. It was like it happened in slow motion; she watched it gain momentum, watched the bottle speed up as it crashed through the air, defied everything but gravity and soon smashed to pieces on the hard wood flooring of the boat.

Her breath left her and she reeled, unable to breathe. Eyes wide like saucers, Lily turned to face the handsome older man. 'He's what?'

'Power,' Kelley panted, the pain racing towards him now, and seizing him. His last words before unconsciousness regained him were, 'he wants all of it.'

* * *

**A/N:** This chapter is riddled with hundreds of mistakes, I'm so sorry about that! But I'm not lying when I say almost all of this chapter was written in a notebook because Microsoft Office has a virus on my laptop. Anyway, what's _coming up next chapter:_

__We find out why Romeo is still alive; what Voldemort is going to do and most importantly, what Sirius has got planned.


	9. Bad News

I don't own anything, save the plot and the OCs.

* * *

_xoxo _

_9. Bad News_

It was the highest achievement to hold a triumph over the Dark Lord. He was a formidable man and to beat him was a formidable accomplishment. Or so he thought.

Every single last Death Eater who had been in Azkaban at the time were tortured, and the ones in the lab, save Madison, were killed. Because they had let Romeo Kelley get away - and the young man held the secrets to everything. If he spoke to Dumbledore than the old man would know about Voldemort's achievement. Dumbledore would find out about how Voldemort had found a way to take all the power from dirty Mudbloods and put it into himself; so he could finally, once and for all, be called the greatest wizard to ever have lived.

This was why he needed to kill Dumbledore; only he was stopping Voldemort from dominating the world.

Voldemort looked around the room he stood in, assessing each and every person. 'Find where the Order are hiding.'

Everyone straightened, eager to please their Dark Lord; too scared to disappoint him. 'If you can't find them, don't bother coming back.'

The room erupted in shouts of: 'LONG LIVE THE DARK LORD!' before cracks rippled through the air as the Death Eaters hastily disapparated. They were all gone within seconds.

_xo_

Gellert sat opposite Dumbledore and smiled a painfully tight smile when he finished his brandy. Then he opened his arms in a gesture of welcome and warmth.

'Well, Albus, how can I help you? Bearing in mind that of course, I have been locked up here for a few decades and therefore probably can't do anything that you'd want of me, save perhaps-'

Albus smiled softly at the cheeky, childish friend he'd missed. Albus had been missing Gellert for so long. He blurted out the first thing he could think of, 'I broke your wand.'

All the colour left Gellert's face. 'My wand? The elder wand? The most powerful wand in all of existence and humanity? You _broke_ that wand?' he wasn't smiling at his old friend anymore. On the contrary, he was frowning deeply. 'How?' he breathed.

'Voldemort conquered me. He broke my wand.'

'Is there a way to fix it?' pleaded Gellert, his eyes glistening with fury. When Albus shook his head, he roared in anger, jumping up with an agility an old man should not have had. 'He's a fool. He let's the idea of power get to him, he lets his arrogance get to him. Look what he's done. Destroyed the most powerful wand in the world. Simply because he thinks no one can have anything as powerful as what he has without him _knowing_ about it.'

Albus placed a hand on Gellert's shoulder. He nodded sympathetically, and in a way, totally understood and agreed to what Gellert was feeling. It was how he felt the moment he saw his wand dissolve into the air and disperse with the wind. He had felt fury and disgust at the arrogant man before him.

'Why are you here, Albus?' Gellert asked softly, his bright eyes boring into Albus's and snapping the old Headmaster out of his reverie.

'Aren't I allowed to come and say hello to my friend?'

'Albus-'

'I need advice, Gellert,' he whispered. 'I think I've done something very wrong.'

This surprised Gellert. Albus never did things wrong; unconventionally, maybe, but never wrong. 'Wrong? Completely wrong? With what?'

'With Sirius Black.'

'But he's dead, right?' the prisoner asked, biting his lip in confusion. His eyes widened when Albus shook his head softly. 'Everyone _thinks_ he's dead. They think he's a traitor.'

'He came back.'

'Well, surely that's not your fault, Albus. Maybe he was pretending to be dead or he cast a spell-'

Albus shook his head. 'No. He was dead. And now he's not. But that's not the worst of it. Gellert, after he returned, I helped him make a horcrux.'

The prisoner flinched and cast his eyes onto his old friend, staring angrily at him. 'Then there is nothing I can do to try and help you. It's up to you Albus.'

'What do I do though. How do I … what if he-'

'I don't know Albus.' The other replied forcefully. 'I don't know.' Just as he finished saying what he was saying, a blinding white light poured into the room.

She, the doe, butted her head, opened her mouth and began to speak.

_xo_

Remus was a very likeable man. He was kind, he helped whenever he could and he was very loyal; to his friends, to his little nephew Harry and his gorgeous godson SJ, and of course, to Dumbledore and all the professors now he thought about it; loyal because they had all protected him and his secret, and tried their hardest to give him a good education.

He was handing out blankets and sheets to the rescued. They were safe now. And food was being made for them at that moment.

Lily ran to Remus and started pulling his arm. Her pretty face was wracked with desperation and grief. 'Come, Moony!' she cried. Tears started pouring down her face. 'Come on-'

'Lily?' he asked. 'What's wrong?'

'It's Voldemort! He's …' she gasped, covering her mouth, and then after a shaky breath, she continued, 'you won't believe what he's doing.'

'What?' he asked desperately.

She ignored him and carried on pulling Remus through the room, and into another one, where there was only one person. He was lying on the makeshift bed, breathing heavily and cradling his arm.

'Romeo,' Lily breathed, 'it's Lily.'

The other man muttered something unintelligible, but they didn't care. 'I've brought you a blanket,' she said as she bent down and wrapped it around him. Lily had dreamed of always being a healer before the First Wizarding War broke out. By that point, it made sense to just devote all her time and energy into helping to defeat Lord Voldemort.

But she was still very nurturing and cared deeply about helping people. Maybe it was the mother side within her, or maybe it was just that she liked helping people.

Lily smoothed Romeo's light brown hair and said softly under her breath, though her voice did shake, 'Do you think you can tell my friend what you just told me about Voldemort?'

There was a long pause, lasting at least two minutes, before the sick man tiredly opened his mouth and explained to Remus all that he explained to Lily, but in more detail this time. The colour steadily left Remus's face. When Romeo finished his story, Remus thanked him, ran a hand through his hair and left the room.

Lily followed Remus, her eyebrows creased with worry. She couldn't read him, which was a first since she could read him all the time, even more so than she could read her own husband. She followed him to the room he was staying in with the Prewett twins, and cried out in shock when she saw him calmly packing his clothes.

'What are you doing Remus?' Lily Evans Potter wasn't a fan of dumb questions, but it just seemed like one of those necessary times. Where a stupid question was simply required, and therefore allowed.

He didn't even look up and said to her plainly, 'I'm going to find Sirius and James and help them track down the rest of the horcruxes. And then I'll help them kill Voldemort.' He said it so calmly, so quietly she almost didn't believe what her ears were telling her.

'You're going to find them? Then I'm coming with you.'

Surprisingly, Remus offered up no protest.

_xo_

A patronus ripped its way through the house. A beautiful doe, with gorgeous eyes and a lithe body. 'James,' Lily said, 'me and Remus want to meet you. In an hour, be at the place where I told you I was going to have Harry. Don't bring anyone else. Just you and Sirius. See you soon, love you.' Then the doe ducked her head and disintegrated into the air, her rays glowing as she left.

Sirius looked up at his best friend and raised an eyebrow. 'Prongs...'

'I know what you're gonna say, yes it's risky, but we have to. Emanuelle,' he said to the pretty Italian, 'do you think you could change the way we look again?'

Within fifteen minutes, they were unrecognisable, save the peaking tattoo protuding from Sirius's top. He winked devilishly at his girlfriend. 'Like the nose piercing?' he asked.

She shrugged, and showed them that clearly, she was not in the mood for joking. 'Do you have to go?' As she said this, she walked towards him and looked up at him through the parting in her hair. He nodded before swallowing harshly. 'Yeah.'

'Be careful.'

'I will,' Sirius replied, kissing her forehead and stroking her cheek. 'You be careful too.'

'I'm always careful,' whispered Rose, leaning up to kiss him deeply. Then they broke apart and she smiled sadly at him. 'I'll see you soon.'

He bent down to pick his son up off the floor and kiss him briefly on his cheek before placing him back down on the ground, where he wanted to be. SJ loved moving around; Sirius could picture him in twelve or thirteen years being in Gryffindor and playing chaser or seeker on the Quidditch team. 'Come on then Prongs, let's go.'

James looked at his son, who he had just said goodbye to, and smiled when he saw his best friend bending down to swiftly place a peck in Harry's hair.

Sirius didn't even spare a look at his Mother and her foul dirty house elf. He didn't want to acknowledge them. Just because they were protecting his family didn't mean he had to suddenly be best friends with them. They were nasty, cruel people, and in Kreacher's case, a dirty creature.

Sirius couldn't even relate to them. And in a year or two, if he was alive, and his mother gave him back the millions of galleons she stripped from him, it didn't mean anything; he wasn't going to suddenly grovel at her feet the way she wanted him to. He would thank her, because it was what Blacks did. But he would never trust her again, never fall for her tricks again - and most importantly, he would never _love _her again.

They didn't apparate because they didn't have licenses and weren't about to go and lead the Ministry to where they were. Because as large as people thought London was, it really wasn't when it came to being a witch or wizard. The Death Eaters would find them in a matter of minutes, really.

James explained to Sirius that the place was outside Piccadily Train Station. They took a train themselves because the station was right near Grimmauld Place, or rather, fifteen minutes away. When they finally arrived, they charmed the ticket barrier, walked through and impatiently waited for their train.

James was overcome with excitement and anticipation; he was going to see Lily, finally. It may have only been a few days but it seemed like a lifetime for him.

_xo_

'The Dark Lord is angry. Within the week, he is going to charge into Hogwarts and murder the students until either you face him or you return the Mudblood prisoners. Prepare yourself Dumbledore. He is not going to be lenient this time. He is angry, very angry. I think some of those prisoners hold knowledge that is very valuable to the Dark Lord. Make your choice quick.'

Then, Snape's doe vanished slowly, her beautiful eyes twinkling bright till they too, finally withered away. Albus stared, open mouthed, at the place where the patronus was before he finally turned to Gellert.

'What do I do?' he asked his oldest friend.

Gellert stared at his empty brandy glass, and as if by magic, which it probably was by, the glass refilled. Gellert knocked it back and then licked his lips.

'You can do three things. Either return the prisoners. Let the students die. Or, and if you ask me, and I offer only my most unbiased opinion, this is the best plan;:you let me out and we round up a group of wizards and witches to help protect the students and evacuate them for good.'

'You?' Albus asked, raising an eyebrow. Surely this was a joke. He voiced this belief. But then he looked into his friend's eyes and saw he wasn't joking. Gellert smiled widely when Dumbledore replied softly after a long moment of hesitation, 'When was the last time you held a wand?'

'A very long time ago.'

'Do you think you can wield one?' Albus asked gently, looking at where the doe had just been. He couldn't believe he was even _considering this _but what other options did he have?

Gellert shrugged. 'It's not something I can forget, is it Al?' His voice had taken on a more teasing, playful quality, as though talking about the potential death of hundreds was something to talk so calmly about.

Albus passed his wand to Gellert, whose mouth fell open in surprise. 'Cast a spell.' Albus ordered him shortly, the colour slowly seeping back into his face.

Without a pause, Grindelwald waved his wand and fire burst from the tip of the wand, forming a bird; and at closer inspection, Albus picked it out to be a phoenix, his phoenix.

'How is Fawkes?' the prisoner asked, raising an eyebrow as he transfigured the closest chair into a tiger, who roared and stalked towards them ever so slowly. A moment later, the gorgeous tiger became a small budgie, tweeting and chirping as it flew gracefully around the little furniture there was in the room.

'Gellert,' Albus said sternly. 'Are you serious about this? Do you really think you should come? Because once you come, you can't return here. I won't bring you back if you try to become a dark lord again. I'll kill you next time Gellert, and I really don't want to have to do that.'

'_Kill me?_' the other replied, a smirk on his face and laughter in his voice. 'You would never be able to kill me Albus. You care about me too much.'

Albus was glad he didn't blush like the foolish schoolboy he felt like he was at that moment. He bit his lip. 'We'll just have to see about that, won't we?'

_xo_

James hugged Lily tightly and kissed her forehead. 'I missed you.' He said, running his hands through her long red hair, glimmering a shiny golden red in the street lamp light. He couldn't believe her and Remus had been able to tell it was him and Sirius, despite the fact that they looked totally different. Apparently, it was in the way Sirius stood and the way James fidgeted that was totally recognisable, even in different bodies.

Lily smiled and pulled her hood up. 'I missed you too sweetheart, but can we please get out of here. Some people back there were giving me and Remus worrying looks.' She said, kissing his cheek and taking her husband's hand. They walked past the pair of friends, Sirius and Remus, who were in the middle of punching and grinning at each other.

'Come on,' said Lily impatiently to the boys, cocking her head. 'Let's get out of here.' Soon, it was the four of them, walking curtly through a dim, deserted street. 'There's a small bed and breakfast two minutes away. We'll go there and stay for the next few nights.'

'And plan,' interjected Remus. Lily nodded.

When they got to the bed and breakfast, it was James who booked the room, in that frustratingly calm voice of his. The bed and breakfast wasn't the prettiest thing, but it was certainly clean and spacious. The threadbare carpet had dark patterns on it, and there was a lot of furniture; chairs, sofas and bookcases cluttering the reception.

'Two beds please.' James said, pulling out his wallet and taking out the wad of Muggle cash he kept on him. And after spending so much time with Lily, he knew how to use Muggle money too; unlike Sirius, who was blissfully ignorant and handed out fifty pound notes for something that was worth thirty pence.

The woman charged James before placing a key in his hand and explaining some of the rules to him; common rules like _no rowdiness_ and _no drugs_ as she took them to their room. It wasn't overly large but it wasn't small either. There were two large beds in the centre of the room and a small bathroom door on the other side.

'I can't believe you did it.' Sirius said proudly, 'You broke into Azkaban right under Voldemort's non-existent nose. You did it, you saved them. How many were killed?'

'Twelve if we're counting Death Eaters, but only three people from our side.'

James sat down beside Lily on the bed, and pulled her into his lap, wrapping his arms around her. 'How did you get in?'

'We transfigured ourselves and swam. They would never think people would swim through, it was easy. The hard part was fighting the Dementors. And the other cell units, you know, like Moody's group encountered some Death Eaters, so they were fighting a lot too.'

'But it was successful.' Sirius interrupted. 'That's all the matters, isn't it? That it was successful and we didn't lose too many people.'

'I don't think it matters how many people were killed, they were still killed. And besides, we were too late. Voldemort's found a way now, he's been experimenting on Muggleborns.'

James's head snapped up and he stared resolutely at Remus. 'What's he been doing?'

Remus swallowed harshly and licked his lips. Remus pulled out a chair from the small round dining table in the corner of the room, flipped it around and sat on it. He rested his chin on the back on the chair and sighed. Running a hand over his face, Remus looked up and stared each of them in the eye.

'Lily was treating a man called Romeo, not much older than us, I think he was in his Fourth Year when we were in First. During the rescue, he'd been up in the new part of Azkaban Voldemort has made. There are people there who are … doing things to the Muggleborns.'

'Doing what I think he's doing?' whispered Sirius.

Remus nodded. 'He's successfully managed to find a way to get the power out. You were right, he's been thinking about it for a long time.'

Both Marauders paled considerably. James's hold on his wife tightened and Sirius's fists curled into big, balled fists.

'I told Dumbledore. I told him he needed to act fast. And now look!' shouted Sirius, 'Voldemort's found a way! He's found a way to do it and it's too late for us now.'

'I know,' Remus whispered, 'None of them survived, save one. Romeo Kelley. He was sort of the experiment within the experiment. Voldemort's found a way to do it now, and if we hadn't come that day, Romeo would be dead and powerless, and so would a few other Muggleborns. Lily had been treating him when he told her all of this.'

They all turned to Lily, who had been silent up until now. She winced and then looked at Sirius. 'Padfoot,' she said, 'we need to kill Voldemort now. Before he's too powerful and it's too late.'

'I agree.' He replied, eyes following a strand of crimson hair floating in the air. 'But how?'

'We find out where the other horcruxes are. Dumbledore thinks that Voldemort hasn't had the chance he's needed to make all the horcruxes he wanted to, but he might still have up to four. Once we track all the horcruxes down and destroy them, we work on killing Voldemort and repairing our world.'

Sirius nodded just as James answered, 'Well, we'll need Dumbledore then won't we?'

'I can't believe he's found a way to do it, to strip a person of their magic.' Sirius said quietly, 'I mean I knew he was trying to do it. But I never thought he'd actually be able to.'

'Romeo is the only one, out of four of them, who survived. But that's only because the magic wasn't taken from him. They were getting ready to take it from him, but they decided to do the more drastic and troublesome prisoners first before taking Romeo's power.'

Sirius took his wand from his pocket, waved it and conjured stationary, things like sticky notes; large sheets of paper, pens and markers and a large white board that he attached to the wall.

'We should start to plan then. Because I'm not turning twenty three and having Voldemort still on this earth. My son isn't going to turn one with Voldemort _still _on this earth.' Sirius said curtly. He tossed pens to Lily and Remus. 'Write down everything you know that could help. I'm going to write everything Dumbledore has told me about horcruxes. Potential ones, where they could be; important places to Voldemort etcetera.'

Suddenly, their attitudes changed. James made them tea (because he was so good at making tea) and contributed to their notes: 'You're forgetting Hogwarts, Sirius. He'd definitely have at least one in Hogwarts. It was the most important place to him.'

'James, you got the blade?' Lily asked, and when he handed it to her, she admired it. 'We could use this the whole time. It saves us a lot of hassle.'

There were nods of agreement. 'Alright,' said Remus, 'I think there's a trend between the things Voldemort might turn into horcruxes. They're either part of his childhood or they're all related to the Founding Four; cups, diadems, necklaces. Which means one of the already made horcruxes is bound to be in Hogwarts. We should go there first. Look for it in a place Voldemort would trust, somewhere no one can go. He's not going to leave it somewhere anyone can access it, this is part of his soul we're talking about-'

'The Room of Requirement!' James shouted. 'Oh my god, how could we not think about it before?! The Room of Requirement! A place he's bound to have discovered, wasn't it Dumbledore who said years ago to us that he thinks we, like Tom Riddle, are some of the only students to have ever discovered even half of Hogwarts' secrets?'

They all looked up in shock, even Lily, and stared at him. It was Remus who spoke. 'You remembered something Dumbledore said to us when we were fifteen?'

The bespectacled Marauder nodded almost nervously. 'Yes. Why?'

'Nothing, it's just a very un-Prongsy characteristic,' replied Remus.

'Okay, so a potential place-'

'Not potential, a definite place is the Room of Requirement. We also need to look around the Slytherin dungeons. You never know, it could be there,' interjected James. He took a pen from beside Sirius and stood up, walking towards the white board.

'Name me every good hiding place you can think of that relates to Voldemort. Any place he might have affiliation with.'

A good while later, when they'd written everything James had wanted them to write, Lily sighed angrily. She was mumbling to herself under her breath, annoyed and pissed off to say the least.

'We need to find Dumbledore,' said Lily. 'He'll know what to do-' as she said this, there was a loud, rippling crack and the room was blinded by a bit of light.

Then there was chuckling.

'-could have warned me Albus, I could have hurt myself … or something.'

'Yes, well you haven't.' Albus said irritably, then he looked around the room at the petrified group of four. They were frozen and all had their eyes glued onto the frail, thin man standing beside Dumbledore, dressed in flimsy clothing with matted hair and a wicked smirk.

'Grindelwald?' asked Remus, staring at the old man and blinking once or twice. Then he looked up at Dumbledore when he was sure it was the ex-Dark Lord. 'Professor, you've either lost your marbles for real this time, or he's imperiused you.'

Albus shook his head patiently. 'No, I haven't and no he hasn't. But I need your help.'

'We were just talking about you Professor,' said Lily, 'we need to destroy the horcruxes now. We need to kill Voldemort now. He's doing terrible things, he's found a way to take the power from one person and put it into another.'

Albus sucked in a breath and ran a hand through his hair. 'First, I think we should get Gellert changed into some more suitable clothing.' As he said this, Albus vanished his friend with a lazy flick of his wand and muttered a few spells under his breath. 'He's in the next room. I've conjured some clothes and soap for him.' He answered when confused expressions were boring into the side of his face.

'Professor, what's he doing here?' James whispered, standing up. 'You can't be serious, Professor. This is Grindelwald we're talking about. It's enough having one Dark Lord running around, but two? You're asking for something. Because when Voldemort finds out, he's going to do everything he can to get Grindelwald on his side. And we can't have Grindelwald on his side.'

Albus held up a hand to silence James. 'We need him. Without him, we have no hope of beating Voldemort. He knows the way Voldemort thinks better than almost anyone; he _was _Voldemort for a short time We need Gellert.'

_Besides,_ Albus thought, _I miss my friend_.

It was one thing to have many people worshipping, following and listening to you. But when was the last time Albus had someone to be friends with? Friendship was such an important thing. Voldemort didn't have any friends. He didn't love anyone. Sirius had so many friends, he loved so many. Maybe this was why he could win. Because he could _feel _in ways Voldemort could never, _would never_ be able to feel.

But Sirius would only if he didn't turn into what Voldemort wanted him to turn into; something cold and evil.

'Professor,' said James, 'do you think Voldemort would have given anything to his followers? Any horcruxes? Do you think he'd trust them enough?'

Albus sat down, his robes bellowing around him as he thought deeply. Voldemort didn't trust anyone completely, but he trusted certain people more than others: for example, he would trust Bellatrix more than say, a newer Death Eater.

'I think, to an extent, yes. He trusts some of them enough. But only some, I could count his favourite and most trusted Death Eaters on one hand: Severus, Bellatrix, Lucius and _maybe_ Barty.'

'Snape would never give us a horcrux, maybe if it was the last one. But never if we still had three more to find. It would blow his whole cover.' Lily explained, shaking her head. 'Also, I don't think Voldemort would give anything to Barty he's too young. Maybe Bellatrix-'

'And definitely Malfoy, if we had to pick one,' James finished for her.

'So what does this mean?' asked Remus, worrying his lip as he looked at each of them. 'We go to their houses? We look for horcruxes? I think it'll be a bit obvious, not to mention bloody suicidal if we wander around their houses looking in their underwear drawers for little bits of dark looking jewellery.'

'Doesn't matter if it's suicidal,' Dumbledore said, 'because Sirius can sense when a horcrux is nearby, can't you Sirius?'

He looked up for the first time since the conversation began, and stared resolutely at Dumbledore, his silver eyes dancing.

'Yes.' He said quietly.

'So that means that you just need to stand outside the front door, don't you Sirius? And you can tell whether a horcrux is in there or not, right?'

Sirius nodded. 'Right.'

'Let me get this straight,' said Remus, 'Sirius is going to sense whether there's a horcrux in the house and if there is, he can find it? Is that even a proper plan Professor?'

Albus chuckled and nodded, his white beard twinkling in the dim light and his piercing blue eyes glimmering with excitement. 'Well, it's all we've got. Isn't that right Sirius?'

This time, Sirius grinned when he nodded. 'Yes.'

* * *

**A/N: **Sorry for the ridiculously long wait, I just wanted to say I can't believe I started writing this over a year ago. It seems like a few weeks ago if I'm honest. But anyway, thanks so much for the absolutely amazing feedback on the last chapter. I promise you a lot is going to happen in the next chapter, they might find a horcrux...

But I shall say no more! I got so awesome Guest reviews on the last chapter; I guess I totally forgot about the "contraception spell" and when I remembered quite a while back, I just thought to myself "well, there's never been a mention of it in the HP series, so why don't I mess around with it a bit" and I decided that the spell hasn't been invented yet or whatever. But initially, I totally forgot about the fanfiction creation of the spell.

As for the guest reviewer talking about SJ's hair, it will stay black, I promise. Thank you for the reviews by the way! I'm very grateful.

Please review! Thanks xxxxxx


	10. Triumph

**A/N: **It's not right of me to start a story and barely update. I'm very sorry for this. I have so much work but I've taken a bit of time out of my revision to write this super quick, also, I thought the last chapter sucked but I'm really happy with this one.

I'd like to thank the guest reviewers who keep leaving me the loveliest reviews, thank you very much. If you could just leave names/nicknames so I can personally address you in author notes.

Enjoy! xxxxxxx

* * *

_xoxo_

_10. Triumph_

The bed and breakfast wasn't hideous but very plain, and strangely claustrophobic, to say the least. Sirius felt like he was being choked, like there were Dementors, all around, sucking the life out of him. It wasn't the most pleasant of feelings.

He nodded vaguely at Dumbledore and stood up. 'Which room?'

'I sent him to room eight.' The old Headmaster answered, smiling encouragingly at Sirius. Maybe he could sense the fear within the other man. But who wouldn't be scared? Grindelwald was a man to be feared. A man to be weary and careful of. Especially because he was one of the darkest lords to have ever lived. He was a force of which his magic was unmeasurable and his intelligence was unaccountable.

He really was an incredible old man. Sirius looked out of his room carefully before stepping into the small thin corridor and hurrying to the next room. It was already open and was just as small, if not smaller, than the previous room.

It had a musty, old and disused smell about it; like a library belonging to one of the ancient, posh universities like Oxford or Cambridge or St. Andrews.

It was only one room this time, with a large bed in the centre. Sitting on it, donned in some fresh clean robes and with a trimmed, clean beard and shorter-but-still-shoulder-length hair was Gellert Grindelwald.

Sirius had never been more nervous in his life. Well, that was a lie. But this made the top five, definitely. The old dark lord had an air about him; like he knew everything and saw all. He had a glimmer in his eye that suggested he was silently laughing at you, and what was most disturbing had to be the smirk: self-satisfied and arrogant.

A smirk that Sirius, more often than not wore.

'Professor Dumbledore t-told me you wanted to speak to me,' murmured Sirius, cursing himself when he stuttered a little bit. _Get it together!_ he thought angrily. _You fought the Dark Lord in a duel, you were imprisoned for months, you stand up to a fully-grown and incredibly strong werewolf every month, you can do this Sirius, you can do this!_

Gellert smiled again, that frustratingly annoying smile of his. 'Yes, yes he did. I imagine he's off in Nurmengard fixing the whole "missing prisoner" dilemma.' The elder man flashed a mischievous smile and Sirius grimaced in return.

He didn't know why he was so nervous around Grindelwald; maybe it was because the man seemed like he could unveil everything Sirius was and everything he had done in a moment and still have time to grin that aggravating, vexatious grin of his.

'Do you know why I want to speak to you Sirius?'

Wiping his clammy hands on his jeans, Sirius swallowed and shook his head. He took a seat opposite Gellert and looked down at his now folded arms.

'Albus seems to think you're troubled. He's been worried about you ever since you both made the horcrux-'

'What?' Sirius cried angrily. 'He told you about that?'

Gellert smiled and shuffled a little closer to the younger man. 'I think that's why he's let me out in the first place. He seems to think I can help you.'

Sirius scoffed and shook his head, mumbling, 'No one can help me. I've messed things up too much.'

Gellert had never been incredible at listening; he was better at causing a ruckus and creating drama. But that didn't mean he couldn't listen. It just meant he didn't do it very often. But in that moment, genuine concern flickered over his face.

'Albus is a great man, and a merciful one too. Now, I know I'm making him out to be some sort of prophet or whatever, and I know I'm glorifying him when I really shouldn't be, but it's true. Did you know he'd _always_ send someone to me at least once a month, just to keep me up with the national affairs; you know, what was going on in Britain's Wizarding World. And he had me subscribed to the Daily Prophet and even got them to let me listen to the WWN once or twice a week. I know a lot more than you think Sirius.'

The younger man rolled his eyes and looked indignantly out the window. 'Like what?'

'Like how you're struggling right now, struggling to find a common ground between what is right and what is wrong. Moreover, you're finding it difficult to understand whether being dark is the only way to beat Voldemort-'

Sirius clenched his fists. He'd always had such a nasty temper, but it seemed uncontrollable now; like any minute he could explode. What annoyed him the most was how right Gellert was.

'I was you Sirius. Only, I didn't find it so hard to make my mind up,' continued the elder man. He stroked his white beard and then grinned a little scathingly, if not slightly condescendingly.

'Why are you telling me all of this?' Sirius questioned slowly. When there wasn't an immediate answer, he looked up and frowned. Grindelwald was laughing silently at him.

Minutes passed before the ex-dark lord could control himself. He started talking again, 'I'm doing this because my friend has asked me too. You are worrying him Sirius, and worrying Dumbledore never bodes well with anyone. Fix it, otherwise he'll find an unconventional way to fix it, a way that you most certainly will not like.

'Explain to me what happened that night you came back to life. I'm afraid my information is a little lacking in that certain topic and I'd find it most interesting.'

Slowly, and with the force of a gaining, frightful wind, Sirius began to explain everything he could remember: the pain of the first spell, hitting him and throwing him back, the shock at being in a large open space that seemed to be an arena of some sort, seeing his Mother, the Angel of Death turning into his dead brother...

Gellert wasn't one of those people who said they "understood" when they clearly didn't understand at all. He obviously understood Sirius, really truly understood him. Maybe that was why he was so intimidated by the elder man.

'I'm failing to understand one thing,' Gellert said in a very quiet voice. Sirius looked up at him, as if to say "what?"

'If Voldemort kills you and you come back, you're not going to be the same man. Who's to say you won't replace him even if you do manage to get rid of him?'

The silver-eyed man looked up, his lips and hands trembling. 'I didn't k-know that would happen.' He cleared his throat and said in a more assertive voice; 'I never knew about that.'

Gellert grinned. 'Yes Sirius, this is what you're looking forward to if you manage to destroy Voldemort but get hurt in the process. Never seeing your son again-'

Sirius jumped up, his chair toppling back and his wand coming out to point right at Grindelwald's chest. 'You don't mention my son. You don't think about him, you don't even _imagine_ him. Dumbledore might trust you but I sure as hell don't.'

'But you need to trust me. Because your plan won't work without me here.' The white haired man's voice came out like a whisper; seductive, breathless and barely even there.

Sirius ran a hand over his face, stared vehemently at Gellert, as though the elder man was scum not even _worthy_ of existing, before he stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him. He was lucky too, because just then, Grindelwald started laughing heartedly.

_xo_

Severus still couldn't quite believe that he was the Headmaster of Hogwarts. It felt like a job too great and noble for him. Dumbledore was meant to be the Headmaster not him; in comparison, Severus felt flimsy and dull - he didn't possess quite the same amount of eccentricities that most Headmasters had had.

Instead, Severus was more of a brooding, quiet type; too busy conspiring in the corner to be leading hundreds of students. And he was very prejudiced too.

The Dark Lord was a commanding influence, and at the time Severus thought it seemed like an alright idea for the Death Eaters and Voldemort to come storming into the school and kill students just to have the Mudbloods return or to have Dumbledore come up and fight him.

But now he thought about it, it seemed like the worst idea. Which was why when Voldemort came to visit and explain the plan to the brooding, worried Snape in his office, he proposed his own idea. Or rather, an idea to accompany Voldemort's.

He had been sitting down at his desk, a quill in his hand dripping ink onto the page. He bit his lip and mumbled to himself under his breath. Then, the flames roared green and a figure came out of it. The only place linked to the Snape's fire was the Malfoy Manor. He looked up in confusion; they usually checked if he was there by calling from the fire first.

But then he saw the flat nose, the glimmering ruby eyes, the grey-white pale skin. Severus rushed around the table and bowed down, pressing his forehead his bent knees in a show of respect. 'Good evening my Lord,' he said tentatively. When he looked up, Voldemort was smiling at him.

'Good evening Severus.' Voldemort walked around the desk and sat down in the main chair, where Severus, Albus, Phineas and many others had sat. 'How are you?'

The younger man tried to regain his footing and smiled, sitting down opposite his lord. 'I am fine, my Lord. I've just been very busy, the students are … let's just say they're a little overexcited at the escape of the Mudbloods in Azkaban.'

Voldemort's face contorted as a flicker of pure hatred washed over his face. He was suddenly clenching his fists and his eyes were glowing red. 'Yes, well they shouldn't be. They're being punished suitably, of course?'

Severus nodded. 'Anyone who voices positive opinions about the escape are handed over to Filch for an hour. He still has his canes and whips from two decades ago.'

The elder man grinned and nodded. 'Good, good. You know, on the topic of students, I've got such a good idea.' Severus wanted to sigh, when the Dark Lord said he had "such a good idea" it _usually_ meant he was planning to kill at least a dozen people.

'What, my Lord?' he answered politely.

The Dark Lord smiled that chilling smile of his; the one that raised the hairs on Severus's back and that made him shiver and want to run. 'Send word to Dumbledore. Tell him that either he comes and faces me like a real man or I will kill _every_ student in this school, starting from the ones with the dirtiest blood, unless he returns all the prisoners to me. _All of them._'

_No!_

Severus's jaw quite literally dropped, and never before had he quite admired the honesty the saying held. He couldn't believe Voldemort. Surely he wouldn't kill purebloods: relatives of the Blacks, of the Malfoys and Yaxleys, of the Lestranges and the Mulcibers … surely he wouldn't...

Which meant they must have had some knowledge that could do real damage to Voldemort. Something that could_ take him down_.

'Yes,' murmured Snape, still in shock.

'Yes what?'

He gulped and felt for a moment like an insolent idiot child. 'Yes my Lord. Sorry my Lord.' Severus reached over and took a quill from beside the Dark Lord's hand and a piece of parchment. He started writing in quick, scrawled calligraphy before he handed it to Voldemort to check over.

When Voldemort nodded in satisfaction, he smiled tightly and placed the letter and the quill on the desk. 'I'll send it later my Lord.'

'Very well,' said the elder man, standing up. 'Is there any else Severus?'

'M-may I just make a suggestion, my Lord?' the younger man interjected, standing up also and cowering away from the more powerful wizard. When he was answered with a nod and a glitter of ruby eyes, he launched into explanation: 'My Lord, I think it would cause outrage on an international level if people were to hear that we murdered children.'

The Dark Lord stroked his chin and then stared Severus deeply in his eyes, searching the black onxy orbs for any trace of hoodwinking or trickery. He couldn't find any and let the younger man continue. Snape shakily ran a hand through his hair and continued. 'I think, my Lord, we should offer up some defences. I think the teachers and I should stand against you, so as not to cause such an emotional upheaval within Britain's magical world. We don't have to tell Dumbledore this, because he will obviously come, but just in case...'

Voldemort looked into the flames, cackling and golden now instead of emerald, and watched them for a minute dancing with vibrancy and life. He then turned to Severus.

'Yes Severus.' His voice was calm and collected, something that Snape feared his voice would not sound like if he opened his mouth once more to speak. 'Yes, I think we will do just that. You are a very useful person to have around. Thank you for pointing this out to me.'

The Headmaster shook his head and licked his lips, the inside of his mouth feeling like cardboard. 'No, my Lord. It's no bother. It's an honour in fact.' He reinstated firmly, smiling widely at Voldemort.

'I shall see you in a few days at the Lestrange Manor. I need to speak to you all and Bella has something to show us.'

'Yes my Lord.' Without another word, Voldemort grinned that frightening grin of his and strode over to the fireplace; disappearing in a wisp of green flames.

As soon as he was gone, Severus sat down in his hair and let his head fall to the desk with a painful thud. With a shaky pause, he snatched the letter to Dumbledore and threw it to the cackling flames, feeding them and hearing them snicker.

'Expecto Patronum,' he breathed. The beautiful, long graceful doe strutted around the room, butting her head at Severus and radiating warmth and happiness. He beckoned her over and she came willingly, lighting up the space around him. Calmly, albeit the exasperated breath Snape took before he spoke, he told the doe what to do. 'I need you to tell Dumbledore...'

_xo_

'Are you guys gonna be here though?' whispered Sirius, looking back at them. They were currently in the cluster of bushes, the ones that Sirius and Malfoy had duelled in the day he was captured all those months ago. They weren't as well taken care as before, and had grown wildly; though maybe that attributed to it being summer now and not winter like it had been at that time.

It was two days after Gellert and Albus came. They hadn't been back since, but Sirius knew that they were watching him. He didn't like Gellert at all. Who gave the man permission to even mention Sirius's son? It was like he wanted to get beaten up or whatever. And from the fragility Grindelwald showed, Sirius knew it would be easy to knock out the old man; maybe a punch or two would be all it took.

'Yes, we're going to be here the whole time. If you get hurt or spotted and a fight breaks out, we'll know about it as long as you leave your mirror on so we can communicate with you, got it Padfoot?' asked Lily. When he nodded she touched his cheek with a pretty, loving smile on her face and then pushed the Invisibility Cloak into his hands.

'Don't be an idiot Pads, please don't.' James said, a hint of both humour and worry etched on his face. He shook his head when Sirius winked at him. 'Oi, stop it. You better be good, alright?'

'Yes sir,' the other Marauder said before turning to Remus and grinning at him. He had his wand on him, well, Voldemort's yew wand, but it worked just as well for him. He also had the mirror tucked into the waistband of his jeans. Sirius looked ready to go in; the only thing that worried the other three was the how dangerous it was for him to be in there. They had planned their search perfectly though; Snape had told them that a meeting was going on in Bellatrix's home. Which meant that the house would be mostly empty, save maybe Narcissa taking care of her son, and a few house elves off cleaning and polishing.

'Good luck,' said Remus quietly, nodding his head and wearing that self-satisfied smirk of his.

'Won't need it,' replied Sirius just as cockily before giving them all a thumbs up and throwing the cloak over his shoulders, veiling his body from the world. It was a quick, frantic walk; he tried to be as silent as possible when he approached the gates however. The defences on the Malfoy Manor had tripled from when Sirius was a little kid. Apparently only certain people could get through, as well as relatives; a recent change made after Sirius's alleged death.

Malfoy seemed to think that after Sirius "died" he would need it to protect his family from furious Order members. He also banned people like James, Peter, the Prewett brothers, the Longbottoms but he forgot one crucial thing: banning Sirius Black himself.

And Sirius, who was a relative, and not banned could still get in. Funny how Malfoy had done all of this to protect his home from Order members, but had forgotten the vital part of all of this: protecting himself and his home against Sirius. Malfoy really wasn't as smart as he thought he was.

Sirius breathed deeply and murmured a soft, 'Alohamora.' The door opened gently with a quiet creak and he stepped inside. The house smelled radiant as the aroma of fresh roasted food graced its way towards him. His stomach gurgled a little and he bit his lip, waiting for someone to hear him. No one came.

Sirius had been to the Malfoy Manor a lot when he was younger. He knew his way around, still, he hoped; unless of course Lucius rearranged everything.

He young man looked around carefully. He scrutinised the entrance of the kitchen and could hear clangs and cooking from inside, and some conversation between the house elves as they chatted enthusiastically about what they were cooking and how best to cook it.

He looked at the grand staircase and hurried up it as quickly as he could, and when he was on the first floor, Sirius paused again. He had to be silent, perfect and definitely not obvious. That was when he felt it: a lurch within him and a stinging sensation from the mark on his arm. It wasn't the sting that happened whenever Voldemort was calling the Death Eaters, but instead a totally different kind: like a slow, deliberate pinch.

_It's here._

Sirius went down the corridor on his left to the office he knew the head of the family owned. He stepped inside and sighed when a cool breeze embraced him. It really was too hot. Who knew? Britain and warmth being associated together?

The young man threw the cloak off after a quick inspection of the office, and then he closed the door behind him. The room was reasonably large. There was a writing desk, most probably hand-made and very expensive from the colour and the texture of the wooden pattern. He thumbed it as he looked around the room. There were bookcases in the corner and of course, a bar near the window with brandy and firewhiskey.

He was thirsty but knew that if he even dared to touch it, somehow, Malfoy would know. The elder man seemed like the type to really care about his liquor. Instead, Sirius murmured a soft, 'Aguamenti,' and the closest glass refilled with water. He drained it, placed it back where it was only when he was sure it was completely dry. He placed it back down and exhaled shakily.

Nothing was going to go wrong. He grabbed the mirror and looked into it. He saw three faces back, staring at him worryingly. Lily started whispering: 'Is everything alright?'

'Yes,' said Sirius quietly, 'I'm in his office. Lily, I can feel it. It's here. It's definitely here.'

'Well hurry and start looking around,' she ordered, 'come on.'

Sirius immediately made his way over to the bookcase. He touched each and everything on the bookcase but after fifteen minutes of thorough inspection, he still couldn't feel anything or find any horcruxes. He took out the mirror and shook his head. 'Not on the bookcase.' He told Remus.

'Alright, well, look at the bar. It might be there, under the drinks or in the drawers,' answered the werewolf, who was worrying his lip and had a glazed, cautious look on his face. 'Try and hurry Sirius.'

'Okay,' he whispered, tucking the mirror back into the waistband of his jeans. The glasses clanged the first time he lifted them and he cringed. Narcissa could come in at any moment, and if not her, then maybe one of the house elves. He waited, not even daring to breath, but after about twenty seconds and no sign of anyone approaching, he continued.

Sirius lifted the glasses, moved the bottles, looking for anything out of the norm. He opened the cabinets, stuck a hand inside and felt around for anything that would sting his skin: nothing did.

'I can't find it guys,' he said in a panicked voice, 'what if it's not in this room? What if it's just on this floor? I can't look in every room guys.'

Lily's face appeared, her fond and kind expression soothing him. She had that sort of personality; one that was a calming and tender one, the ability to both break you and make you, as she demonstrated time and time again with James.

'Calm down Sirius, you can do this. Just check his cabinet and his desk, it must be there. If not, we'll come back another day.'

He shook his head passionately: 'No, we're going home with the horcrux today. We have to.' He tucked the mirror away for what he hoped was the last time and sat on the chair. It sagged slightly under his weight. He opened the cabinet and felt a hissing burn ripple through his arm - it wasn't painful but it wasn't enjoyable either.

'Yes!' Sirius said, a little louder than he would have liked. His hand flew up to cover his mouth. Without a moment's hesitation, he pulled open the draw and started touching everything. But none of them evoked the appropriate reaction; nothing dramatic enough.

_If I had a piece of Voldemort's soul, _Sirius thought,_ where would I put it? Not somewhere anyone could get it and not somewhere anyone could find it but … but somewhere near where I always am_.

Sirius didn't know what it was that told him, maybe it was his intuition, but he rapped each side of the wide but short drawer. The right side was hollow. Sirius pulled out his wand, waved it and a latch appeared. He pulled the latch and there it was, a secret compartment. And sitting in the secret compartment was a diary.

It was old and mauled, like a copy of a favourite book; revisited again and again and appreciated all the same each time. Sirius reached for it and hissed particularly loudly when his hand came into contact with the leather-bound black diary.

Scrawled on the back, it said _Tom Marvolo Riddle_. It was Voldemort's alright. Sirius withdrew the mirror from his waistband and said into it, 'I've got it.' Lily's eyes met his and they shined with pride and excitement. 'I've got the horcrux.' He told her.

But then the door opened, and a voice interrupted all of Sirius's thoughts.

_xo_

Albus could remember everything Gellert had told him when they had been reunited after the conversation between the young pureblood and the old, slightly crippled ex-prisoner. Gellert had had a lot to say about Sirius. And it wasn't positive, at least, most of it wasn't.

'He's hot-headed,' said Gellert at the time. He was standing, same height as Dumbledore but with a slouchier posture and less colour in his face.

'I don't understand,' replied Albus.

'He's a changed man. He's darker now, he doesn't know how to control himself. I've never met him before but from what you've described, he's not the man he used to be.'

Albus bit his lip and sat down, burying his face in his hands. 'The horcrux?'

'I don't know Albus, dear friend. I really don't know.' Gellert sat opposite his old friend and smiled encouragingly. 'Don't worry, Albus. When he destroyed Voldemort, because I just know he has the power in him, we'll make him destroy the horcrux.'

The old Headmaster nodded unsurely, if not a little disbelievingly. But he nodded once more. 'Yes, of course. How was your conversation?' he added.

Gellert sighed. 'It was … alright. He's certainly not the man I thought he'd be. He's got darkness in him, Dumbledore. Something is bugging him. I'd suggest you keep an eye on him, just to make sure he doesn't do anything. And make sure he doesn't do anything with his horcrux.'

Albus chuckled without humour: 'Do what?'

'You know, make sure he doesn't make any others. You need to remember Albus that horcruxes change people totally. Voldemort is a perfect example, and I'm not talking about appearance only.' The ex-prisoner swallowed harshly and then continued speaking, 'If he lets the horcrux take over, then he won't be the Sirius you know anymore. He'll be like Voldemort; cold and unfeeling and we'll have to kill him.'

Albus nodded quickly. 'Yes, I know, Gellert.'

'You watch him carefully, okay? Because we might lose one dark lord, Albus but there's always room for another.' They exchanged grim nods in which Albus responded to the bitter silence by conjuring some brandy and two glasses.

They knocked their drinks back and continued staring at their glasses with sour discomfort. It hurt to think of Sirius as ever being anything other than caring, affectionate and warm-hearted. He was the type that loved so wholly, that wore his heart on his sleeve. He wasn't cold. He never would be cold.

'Do you think we should start watching him now?' asked Albus, biting his lip worryingly.

Gellert grinned and before Albus knew it, he started laughing and shook his head. 'Oh Al, I've already started watching him. From the moment I first laid eyes on him. Be careful around him Dumbledore. Trust him to kill Voldemort but do not trust him for anything. Whilst he still has a horcrux living, still intact on his earth, he is a liability.'

Albus nodded. From the moment he met Gellert, he knew that whatever the man said, he would probably agree and probably do. Grindelwald just had that sort of personality; he was a force of persuasion and had talent in influencing and swaying people.

'Thank you.' He said.

'Always, Albus,' was the response.

_xo_

The noise they made was staggering: it rippled through the grounds of the Lestrange Manor, which stretched on for miles. It was startingly beautiful, but if Bellatrix was honest, she loved where she lived more than she lived the man who owned the land. Rodolphus was a very cold, chilling man: he didn't love Bellatrix anymore than she loved him.

He had sex with other women in their bed for goodness sake. She could sometimes even smell them on the sheets. The first time she had smelt it, she had cursed him so bad he hadn't been able to walk without wincing for a week.

The grounds looked stunning in the summer heat; the horizon glowed golden and the sky was a mixture of light blue, yellow and hints of pink. It was very beautiful.

The giants made another staggering noise, ripping Bellatrix out of her trance. She turned to them angrily, and they most certainly feared her, because they were silent within an instant. With a murmured, 'Sonorus,' her voice echoed loudly as she began to speak.

'There are thirty of you. Thirty of you powerful, strong giants. Now, put on a good display for our Dark Lord and behave yourselves. Otherwise, you'll get the treatment you received yesterday for embarrassing me.' Yesterday had been most disgusting: she had killed four of the giants who had started to fight and embarrass her in front of some of the other Death Eaters.

Bellatrix had managed to get them to shut up though with her frightening persona and her great magical tools. She had whips that worked on their own accord and left marks on the giants the length and width of Bellatrix's leg. She was smart. She knew how to control them. But it took just one giant wise enough to turn all the other giants against her and Voldemort.

'So these are the giants you have gotten for us?' a voice asked from behind Bellatrix. She turned eagerly and broke into a wide smile when she saw her lord. She threw herself down and kissed the hems of his robes.

'My Lord. Yes, there are the giants I have managed to get, with the help of Dolohov, on our side.' She would have omitted Dolohov's name in her explanation but he had approached her with Voldemort, and was watching her critically.

'They seem like a formidable force.' He said, appraising the enormous group of giants, some of them being two dozen feet tall. He fixed his chilling, red glare upon them and they shivered a little, moving back from him. Even when they were three or four times the size of him, they still cowered, like mice, away from him. It was incredible. Voldemort turned back to Bellatrix and smiled at her. 'Come Bella, leave them out here. Your other comrades are inside waiting.'

She nodded obediently. 'Yes, my Lord.' She said. The whips came out, ready to strike, and some of the giants watched them suspiciously and even moved away just a little. She turned to the whips and they followed her, crowding around her. 'Strike them if they leave this area.' With that, she was gone, following after the Dark Lord and leading Dolohov.

Bellatrix felt powerful, walking behind Voldemort. Like she was his best, highest follower. And that was all she wanted to be; his best and his favourite.

_xo_

Sirius looked up slowly. Every noise was amplified; the beating of his heart, the sound of his breathing, each swallow, each creak of furniture. Very large tennis-ball like eyes were boring into his. The door closed very quickly behind the small figure.

'Dobby is not meaning to interrupt you sir,' the house elf squeaked. 'Dobby is only coming in to check if everything is clean and alright sir. Master Lucius does not like when his office is not clean sir. Dobby is so sorry. Stupid Dobby, stupid, stupid-' he started hitting himself on the head with his tiny balled fists.

His squeaks were echoing through the room and Sirius had to rush forward to grab the elf's hands. 'It's alright, _Dobby_ is it?'

The very adorable elf nodded. Sirius cleared his throat and nodded. 'Right, well, you're probably wondering why I'm here Dobby...'

'Dobby isn't wondering sir. Dobby knows. You is the Master Sirius Black sir. You is _alive_!'

Sirius groaned under his breath and could hear whispers coming from the mirror now lying abandoned on the desk. He wanted to scream in frustration. How could he be so stupid? Hadn't he learnt _anything?_ _Anything at all?_

'You can't tell anyone Dobby!' he said, his hand already holding his wand behind his back.

The elf smiled. 'Oh, you is needing not to worry sir Sirius. Dobby will not tell anyone. Dobby hates his masters as much as you do sir. Oh! Dobby must not speak badly about the Malfoys-' he was preparing to hit himself again when hands once more enclosed around his tiny fists.

'You can't tell anyone Dobby, you really can't.' He pleaded, already debating whether to erase the elf's memory or not. Surely an elf who spoke badly about his masters couldn't be a bad elf or anything? Surely Dobby wouldn't tell anyone?

There was noises downstairs. Then Sirius heard it; he heard the manly, thick voices of Malfoy and some friends. His insides froze. How on _earth_ was he going to get out?

It sounded like there were at least five or six? And then Sirius heard it. The ascending of stairs, slow and gradual. His heart started beating faster, like a drum, banging against his rib cage. Sirius was seconds away from hyperventilating when a cloak was thrown over him and the mirror was shoved into his hand as well as the diary forgotten on the floor.

He gasped in shock when the door, for the second time in the space of ten minutes, opened. There were five of them, and to Sirius's surprise, none of them were Death Eaters, but instead politians. But then he corrected himself: what was the difference?

He licked his lips and shook his head.

'Dobby, what are you doing here?'

The elf squeaked. 'Dobby is so sorry master. Dobby is cleaning master's office. Dobby should leave master in peace now.'

Lucius had stone cold grey eyes, pretty but frightening. They were framed in pale, thick lashes. He smiled at his politian friends and shook his head. 'Are you done then Dobby?'

'Yes master, Dobby is done. Sorry for disturbing you master.' The elf said. He straightened up and then whimpered when a cane collided with his leg. 'Dobby is so sorry master,' the elf whimpered, 'Dobby has forgotten his manners. Is there anything Dobby can get master and his guests?'

Lucius nodded. 'Bring us up some tea.' Then he turned to his aloof, snobby friends and laughed. Dobby opened the door slowly, giving Sirius enough time to slip past, though his head clanged against the door painfully, before the elf too followed and it snapped shut behind them. The house elf groped the air and grabbed the edge of the cloak, dragging the pureblood heir through the corridor and into the laundry room.

Sirius threw the cloak off and before he knew it, was wrapping the elf up in a tight, warm hug. 'Thank you so much Dobby. Thank you!' he said passionately before seizing the elf and kissing his shiny head.

The elf gushed with pride. 'Master Sirius is welcome sir! Most welcome! Dobby is glad he has helped!'

'How can I repay you?' gasped Sirius, his hand tightening around the diary now in his pocket. It was certainly small and thin enough to fit, like nothing had ever been written in it. He would have to inspect it thoroughly later.

The young man looked around the small laundry room. It was filled with baskets and boxes of clothes, some clean and some dirty. It also smelt quite nice; like soap.

'How do I get out?'

Dobby pointed at a chute in the corner of the room. 'This leads to the outside of the house. It is where Dobby and the other house elves also put the rubbish to be disposed of at the end of the day.'

Sirius threw the cloak around his shoulders, but his head was still visible. He made sure he had the mirror and his wand before looking the elf directly in his large green eyes. 'You cannot tell anyone Dobby. Promise?' he knew when he used that assertive voice of his, he could command almost anyone. It was like a gift.

Part of Dobby, the obedient part, rebelled against promising not to tell anyone but he made the vow anyway. 'Dobby promises sir. Dobby will carry this secret with him to his death.'

Sirius smiled at the elf's eccentrics and mouthed a 'thank you' before disappearing down the chute and whizzing out of the Malfoy Manor and into the gardens outside. He barely made it behind the bushes before he was ambushed; hugged viciously by his two best friends, kissed on his cheek by Lily and praised rather passionately.

'You did it Sirius! You did it!' they were saying. With smiles wider than Cheshire cats, the group of four joined hands and disapparated directly into the bed and breakfast they were staying at. Though the cracks were loud, their smiles spoke louder.

_xo_

Peter understood why he had to go with Alice and not the other Marauders; Mrs Black would not tolerate his presence But Augusta was a very nice woman when she wanted to be; though she was extremely strong willed and very persuasive at times. Regardless, he was very grateful that she was letting him stay at her house.

Alice was also still very vulnerable from all the fighting at the underground Auror base from a few weeks ago. She was strong though, like her mother in law, and just as formidable. She put on a brave face and helped heal Peter.

He knew it was useless though. Peter didn't voice his opinion but he knew the infection had already begun to spread. He couldn't transform easily into Wormtail any more nor could he withstand the pain that the cursed scar brought.

Dolohov was a cruel and bitter man. He had ruined Peter's life. He was a werewolf now, or rather, as soon as the full moon waxed, he would become one. But surely if Remus could do it than he could? And wasn't there a new potion that would make it easier? Surely if Moony could do it...

_But Remus has been a werewolf for almost his whole life, it's the only thing he knows. Besides, he's stronger than you. Always has been, always will be._

Stop it!

Peter shook his head and bit his tongue. He couldn't do this, he couldn't keep messing around with himself like this. He was his biggest enemy, thinking such pessimistic thoughts and worrying himself with the fact that the Marauders would leave him because they would realise just how boring he was.

Peter swallowed sharply and smiled when he saw Neville race into the room and run at him. He lifted the boy and hugged him. Neville was very tactile; he liked hugs and kisses and a lot of affection. Something that Peter hadn't been very used to after his Father died and his Mother got sick. He winced when Neville's bony elbow collided with his stomach but braved a smile.

Peter didn't like being at the sidelines. He liked knowing what was going on at all times. Maybe that was why he was so agitated, sitting here in Augusta's frilly home playing happy families (though he wasn't married to Alice or anything) and helping to take care of Neville and get the groceries.

He wanted to be out there doing something.

He wanted to speak to Remus. He wanted to cry. He wanted to ask god _why_? _Why did it have to be him?_ Hadn't he been doing _good_? Didn't he abandon Voldemort and turn back to the good side?

But that didn't matter to god, did it? Because he still allowed Peter to get infected.

The rat Animagus stood up and stretched, but then cringed when the skin on his neck stretched like the rest of his body. It was sore and it hurt like hell. He licked his lips and sat back down. Surely there was someone who could help him? If not physically, then psychologically, at least.

Shaking his head, Peter sat back down and let Neville shove a book onto his lap. Dutifully, he began to read the story of _The Fountain of Fair Fortune, _praying to god not to turn him into a werewolf, if he would even bother to listen.

_xo_

The diary passed between each of their hands, first Remus, than James and finally Lily. Each of them assessed it in different ways; Remus flicked through it, James tapped it with his wand, Lily smelt it and felt for the texture of the diary.

Finally, when they were done, Sirius placed the blade between them. They currently each sat on the double bed, legs crossed and a can of beer wedged between their legs. Sirius was on his third, James had finished his second, Lily was still on her first and Remus was on god knows what.

To say the three males were tipsy was an understatement, but that just made things a whole lot easier.

'You should do it,' Sirius said, shoving the blade at Remus. The werewolf shook his head passionately though and handed it to Lily. They all watched her as she took the blade and admired it, the gems encrusted in the handle, the sparkle of the shining silver metal.

Finally, Lily held up the blade with shaking hands and said in a quiet voice, 'What shall I do?'

'You stab it.' Her husband explained to her in hushed tones. 'Right in the centre.'

But the diary seemed to sense what was coming because it flicked open. Like a cinema (because thanks to Lily and Remus, the two purebloods knew what it was) it started to play images corresponding to each of the Order members surrounding it.

It showed Remus when he was bitten, when the doctors told his parents to kill him, when he broke up with Emanuelle...

James cried out in pain when images of his dead parents flickered before his eyes, when he learnt that Marlene, his oldest friend, had been killed...

For Lily, she saw heartbreaking images. Of dead family members, of dead children, of the bitter pain when she and Severus broke contact forever.

And as for Sirius, he saw everything and nothing really. Too much yet not enough. They were all entranced in their own, heart wrenching grief to pay attention to the task at hand: destroying Voldemort's horcrux. His link to the immortal world.

Until Lily was ripped out of the trance when James's beer poured all over her. She cried out in shock and anger, the noise echoing around the room before she snatched the thick heavy blade from the centre of the bed and plunged it into the diary's centre. It screeched for at least a minute, a long howling noise penetrating every fibre of their bodies.

They gasped and panted heavily; their chests heaving and their bodies quivering with sorrow and fear. Never had they been so scared before. Smoke wafted around them as the last whimpers died out from the diary before it seemed to slump on the bed and lie still. It had a gaping hole in the middle, the wound leaking out the ink from the unused pages.

Lily touched it than threw the blade down. 'I did it.' She whispered to herself a few minutes of silence afterwards. Then she wiped her tears away shakily and repeated in a slightly more composed voice, 'I did it.'

* * *

**A/N: **I hope you've enjoyed this! I tried really hard on it! And it was so much fun to write!

Please review, I hope you enjoy the rest of your day, xxxxx


	11. Surprise After Surprise

**Disclaimer: **Usual disclaimer applies; I don't own Harry Potter.

**A/N: **I hope you enjoy this chapter. I don't know why but I'm updating this story a lot more now. Thanks for reading.

Also, I would like to tell you that there has been a time skip of a few weeks. It's September now.

* * *

_xoxo_

_11. Surprise After Surprise_

'Are we really doing this, my Lord?' whispered Bellatrix. She couldn't believe it, looking at the thirty or so giants standing before them. They were enormous: powerful, strong and a force to watch out for. Though not the smartest species gracing the world, they sure were _mighty_.

Everyone feared them. And wasn't that what Voldemort wanted most? To control the most frightening thing on the earth?

He himself was powerful, so didn't it make sense for him to seek out the next most impressive and supreme group and turn them into his slaves? Because that was what the Dark Lord was doing; he was turning them into his slaves. They would do what he wanted.

'Yes Bella,' replied Voldemort quietly. He turned to face her and reluctantly smiled back. She beamed and started laughing a deep, rumbling laugh. Madness glittered in her intense, pretty eyes as she threw her head back, her uproarious laughter catching and making Voldemort chuckle softly too.

'Calm down Bella. We haven't even started yet.' He said after he stopped laughing.

'I'm so excited, my Lord.' She replied. She quickly looked around, appraising the Death Eaters behind her and the Dark Lord. Narcissa was holding hands with Lucius, who had a stern expression on his face, but did let a smile loose on his face once or twice.

The cracks of apparation finally stopped, and soon came the inevitable question.

'Is everyone here?' Voldemort was only including the trusted Death Eaters, or rather, the Death Eaters he trusted to not mess everything up. Still, they came to a staggering total of fifty, and with them were twenty of the best giants. Twenty.

'Yes my Lord!' everyone shouted.

Slowly, and with the tension of a strong, gaining tempest, Voldemort turned to face his followers, opened his mouth, smiled and said in a voice no louder than a whisper, 'It's time.'

The cracks rippled through the air, like gunshots, startling the neighbouring animals: sending some into paranoid frenzies and sending others into a whimpering and pathetic shock. But they were gone, including the giants, who, though they couldn't apparate, could be bound to a wizard or witch and therefore controlled. It was from a deserted and treeless forest (so really just a large deserted open space) that they apparated into Hogsmeade.

The shoppers walking past didn't even bat an eyelash, until they heard the bellowing roar of the first giant. After that, it all went downhill. People were screaming and running, crying and begging. Death Eaters were torturing the shoppers sporadically, throwing spells at them and cackling with laughter when they cried out.

'This will certainly get Dumbledore's attention,' thought Voldemort, tossing people aside like they were obstacles: but to him they were obstacles. They were nothing but objects if they weren't on his side. Dumbledore was even an object, just a large and usually unmoveable one.

'Enough!' cried Voldemort. 'We're not here to terrorise the public. We're here to challenge Dumbledore and his people. Once and for all.'

There were enthusiastic cries and screams from the Death Eaters, the loudest of course being Bellatrix. 'Onwards.' Voldemort said calmly.

_xo_

The Lestrange Manor was very beautiful. It was large, tall and towered over the trees and houses nearby. The space around it, though not as extensive as the Malfoy Manor, was larger than say, the House of Black's Grimmauld Place for example.

The defenses on the Lestrange Manor were similar to Lucius's wards, yet perhaps even a little easier to pass through. Sirius was sure he could get James through if he tossed a few spells about. So he did. He asked his friend to come through with him.

'Are you sure Padfoot?' asked Lily. Her and Remus were going to be waiting, like before, behind the cluster of bushes and trees not too far away.

'Yes, he's a pureblood. And one of the originals from Britain, despite his blood-traitor status. He'll be fine, I promise. Besides, I need to get this job done quickly. We don't know where everyone's gone, there could still be a wizard or two inside for all we know. We need to get the horcrux and get the fuck out.'

'Right,' said Lily, leaning up to peck his cheek, 'be careful,' she told him sternly before turning to face her husband and kiss him quickly, 'you too,' she warned James. Both men looked down at her with mischievous smiles on their faces.

'Of course.' They said in unison before grinning widely at one another. They each slapped Remus on the back before disappearing under the Invisibility Cloak. The sound of their footsteps faded before finally, Lily and Remus could hear them no more.

When Sirius and James got to the gates, they were a little surprised at the lack of resistance they encountered. Sirius easily got through, and it only took a quick, weak confundus on the gates to get James safely through. They walked with deliberate and careful slowness, scared to make too much noise as they walked along the gravel.

Alohamora was cast twice and it opened with a drawn out creak. The house didn't smell as divine as the Malfoy Manor. Whereas Narcissa and Lucius's home smelt like it was lived in, Bella's home smelt like an old, unused library: it had a dusty sort of smell. Everything was immaculate and untouched.

Bustling around in the lounge were house-elves. Sirius also knew the layout of the Lestrange Manor too. He pretty much knew they layouts of every pureblood home in the UK. He'd definitely visited them enough to know.

'… yes, well, just in case, ha ha, alright dear...'

'FUCK!' Sirius mouthed, closing his eyes almost shucking the whole cloak off his shoulders, and James's too. His friend had to pinch him and step on his foot to get him to shut up.

But Sirius ignored him and continued to listen to the voice making its way towards them, getting louder and louder, closer and closer... It was, oh of course, Rodolphus's mother, Theodosia Avery Lestrange.

She was vile, she was. She liked hurting people and didn't hesitate to snitch someone at in a moment if she benefited from it.

She came into their view: tall, a little chubby but beautifully dressed, and with her dark locks piled atop her head. Her friend came with her, and Sirius, with a startled jolt, recognised his own Mother. What was she doing? Why was she with Theodosia? The foulest woman in the whole pureblooded circle?

'The powder room is on the first floor, take a left, the first room you see.' Mrs Lestrange said, despite the fact that Walburga obviously knew how to get to the toilet. But she smiled, thanked her friend graciously and made her way up the grand staircase. Sirius and James didn't miss a beat, skipping onto the stairs and placing their feet in sync with Walburga. Despite the fact that the master bedroom or Bella's tearoom was not on the first floor, they followed Walburga anyway. When they were sure that Theodosia could not see or hear them, they pulled off the Invisibility Cloak and awoke Walburga to their presence by tapping her on her shoulder.

She looked close to screaming, but she was a smart woman and managed to restrain it, though she slapped a hand to her chest and exhaled heavily. She cocked her pretty little head to the lavatory and opened the door for them before following afterwards and slamming the door quickly. She collapsed on the small cream Victorian sofa; you know, the ones that seemed like a mix between a sofa and a bench that could seat two men comfortably.

Walburga put a small hand to her mouth and turned her angry eyes to her son. 'What is wrong with you? It's impolite Sirius to frighten your Mother like that.'

'Sorry Mother,' he said, looking at his best friend all the while and exchanging a large grin with him.

'Why are you here?' she whispered, standing up and making her way towards him. He flinched a little and stepped back. When her son didn't answer her, Walburga's eyes glittered dangerously. 'Sirius,' she said forcefully, 'this is stupid and dangerous. Whatever you're here for, forget about it and leave. Don't risk it-'

'I can't leave Mum!' he sounded a lot like a petulant, moody kid but he was past caring. 'We can't leave, we have something to do. Something that'll be done a lot quicker if you could just help us.'

Walburga sighed, massaging her temples and worrying her lip. After a few short moments of quick deliberation, she turned her glare to her son and said, 'What is it, Sirius?'

'Get Theodosia out of here please. Tell her you've found a new restaurant and would love to show her or something along those lines. We won't be long. We're just looking for something.' If his Mother was curious, she didn't ask - she knew how powerful and dangerous knowledge could be.

Mrs Black didn't even bid him goodbye, or wish him good luck; she just nodded once sharply and left the lavatory rather quickly. About a minute later, they heard her quiet conversation with Theodosia, fake laughter, agreements and soon, the sounds of shoes and coats being put on. The pair of men waited until they heard Theodosia call orders to her elves and close the door behind her.

'She's gone?' asked James.

'Let's go,' Sirius said, nodding. There were three rooms it was most definitely going to be in. Though Sirius couldn't sense anything yet. But there was still time. And even if they didn't find a horcrux, though they so desperately wanted to, they could find a clue that could lead them to a horcrux. Just something helpful.

But anyway, back to the three rooms: it was either going to be in the bedroom, Bellatrix's tearoom or the library. One of those rooms, most likely Bellatrix's tearoom - simply because she would have the horcrux if it were to be in the Lestrange Manor, not her husband.

The closest room was the library. It wasn't as big as the Malfoy one or the Black library, but it was a round and rather cute room, with an empty fireplace, an open window and dark wooden flooring. The chairs were clustered around the fireplace and the shelves were spaced apart generously.

Sirius and James barely exchanged a word when Sirius walked around the room, peeping his head into each row of books. But not once did he feel the horcrux. It wasn't in the library.

'It's not here Prongs, I can't feel it.' Sirius said, but he was still hopeful. It was probably in the tearoom. They would go there next.

'Let's go to Bella's tearoom, I don't think she'd leave it somewhere her husband could find it. Voldemort seems like the type to order them not to tell anyone. I bet Narcissa doesn't even know about the diary.' Sirius explained as they made their way up the stairs to their destination.

James smiled nervously. 'Well, Malfoy really doesn't seem like the type to sit his wife down at dinner and explain to her about all the secretive stuff Voldemort's doing with his soul or whatever.'

As they said this, they approached the thick oak door of Bella's private room. Unsurprisingly, it was locked. A simple Alohamora didn't do the trick either. Nor did Recludo or Resero. Both Marauders looked at each other, eyes widening.

'It's not opening, why's it not opening?' Sirius muttered to himself, waving his wand once more and jabbing it at the doorknob.

'D'you think the horcrux is in there?' James questioned, 'She's gone to a lot of trouble to keep the room locked.'

Sirius bit his lip. 'I'm not sure, I can't sense it. But there could still be something important in there. James, there's one more spell, isn't there? The powerful Unlocking Charm. The really powerful one. I'm sure I remember Flitwick telling you off one time and he was talking about it...'

_x_

It was a summer day, bright with shining clear skies and a golden sun beaming down at all the students. But Sirius, James, Remus and Peter weren't outside enjoying the summer sun. Instead, they were trapped inside a Charms class, listening to Flitwick bustle about and cackle excitedly when he spoke about the more complex charms.

They were in their Fourth Year, and had done complex Locking Charms for a week now. It was awfully tedious, but very important apparently. Especially since most of the class couldn't perfect the last and most powerful Locking and Unlocking Charm.

The class was filled with sweaty, tired and bored students. Emanuelle and Rose sat at the back with the Marauders, talking in quiet tones and smiling at each other. Lily sat closer to the front, and appeared to be dozing off into a soft slumber. But that was because she was one of the few, alongside three Ravenclaws, who had perfected the last Unlocking Charm. She was a smart one, she was.

Sirius and James laughed at something witty Remus said, they always laughed at what he said. He was really very funny. The werewolf winked at them and then ran a hand through this golden brown hair. He was close to perfecting the spell, but really wasn't bothered. It was too hot for this shit.

'Now,' Flitwick's squeaky voice rose over many, but not the Marauders' of course, 'the Aperire Charm is one of the most …' he trailed off when Remus and Sirius's laughter interrupted him and James continued telling his rather exciting story. Flitwick scowled angrily at the group sitting at the back and said in an angry voice, 'Now, see here boys! I've had it with you chatting this whole lesson. Why don't you all demonstrate the charm for us. If you successfully do it, I might not give you a detention.'

In the end, Remus was the only one who managed, after three tries, to successfully cast the charm. But Sirius and James hadn't been listening at all. In fact, James even had the ruddy audacity to ask, 'What's the incantation again sir?' Which is why he wasn't surprised at all when he was given an extra detention.

_o_

'Fuck!' shouted Sirius, biting on his lip. 'I can't remember the fucking incantation. Remember that time we got the detention for not being able to do that charm, with Flitwick? It's the Aperire charm, but I can't remember the incantation.' He shook his head. 'We won't be able to get in James.'

'What should we do then?'

Sirius tapped his chin as he thought and started pacing the small corridor of the second floor. Then he paused in front of his best friend and broke into a wide smile. 'I've known Bellatrix since I was a baby. She's always had a one-track mind. She's almost certainly defended the door from being broken in magically but I think … I think she's the sort of person to dismiss the possibility of someone physically breaking in.'

'You're having a laugh,' scoffed James, shaking his head. 'What if it doesn't repair? What if we break it and we can't fix it? What about the house elves? Won't they wonder what the hell all that noise is? And what about the actual door Sirius? It looks to thick to break through and as strong as you are, I doubt you can break through this door. Unless you use Reducto or Bombarda.'

Sometime during James rant, Sirius had conjured masks - actual, real, burglary looking black masks - and was in the process of putting his on. He handed one to James. 'Go down and lock all the house elves into one room please. I'll blast this door open in the meantime. Ransack the house whilst you're at it, break some things, trash some other things, steal some maybe. We'll make it look like a burglary and not like a targeted attack.'

The bespectacled Marauder seemed to be hyperventilating. He put on the mask, and held his wand tightly in his arm. James swallowed harshly, nodded at his friend before he tore through the corridor, knocking the cabinets and vases whilst he was at it.

Sirius smiled as his friend reminded him just a little of a child, running and laughing. James wasn't laughing though. He himself was silent. Sirius turned to the door and flexed his wand, sighing tiredly. 'Bombarda Maxima,' he thought, and with an almighty bang, the door burst open. Bits of wood flew everywhere as the noise resonated through the large house. Sirius didn't wait a moment. He ransacked the room: flipped the sofa, threw and broke the chairs, stuffed jewellery into his pockets and a good bit of cash too. When all that was done, he finally paused for a second, letting the feeling of the room flood him.

Many feelings flooded him, but, unfortunately the tingling sensation created by the horcruxes didn't come to him. Instead, he felt only the anticipation and apprehension of the situation him and his best mate had gotten themselves in.

A few letters crinkled under Sirius's foot as he moved, and he looked down at them. Obviously the fates were on his side because the first letter was addressed to Bellatrix from her beloved Dark Lord. With shaky hands, Sirius picked up the envelope and took out the letter before he began to read.

_Dear Bellatrix,_

_I hope the cup has safely made its way to the Lestrange family vault of 9. It shall remain there for as long as necessary but should I call for it, I would want it almost instantly. The cup has great value, and therefore, I would appreciate it if you told no one of this._

_Your deed for me Bella, will certainly not be forgotten. Thank you._

Sirius reread the letter. Vault … cup … deed … Bellatrix did have the cup. But it wasn't here. It was in her vault. Calmly, he placed the letter back into its envelope, threw it to the ground and made his way to where James was downstairs, who was in the process of vanishing objects and breaking others.

'Got it?' the bespectacled Marauder shouted to him.

'No.' Sirius replied, 'But I have something else. Let's go mate.'

The house elves were locked in the kitchen, Sirius later learned. But him and James were past caring. They had been so close...

The didn't even bother locking the front door and instead sauntered out of the Manor, ripping their masks off and meeting Lily and Remus at the edge of the field in front of Bella's home. Together, the group of four made their way to the closest pub - to get something to eat and exchange details of what happened.

_xo_

Rose Taten could easily get frightened sometimes. She was a fearless woman, most of the time, but in certain situations she lost all her bravery and courage. Instead, she was reduced to a frightened fay. She didn't like being scared though, because then she lost the upper hand.

Her placed the small vial down and started to cry. Burying her face in her hands, Rose cried the hardest she'd cried in such a long time. She placed a hand on her abdomen and looked down at her stomach, cursing her uterus and her eggs and the fucking condoms she and Sirius repeatedly used.

Stupid Muggles, they didn't know a thing. It hadn't worked. They hadn't worked. She was so frightened, so scared. What would he say? He'd be furious. She looked at the vial, which had turned dark blue - positive - and looked in the mirror. Her pretty light green eyes were blotchy and red, her skin was flushed and her hair was messy and knotted from all the times she'd run her hands through it.

There were a gentle knock on the door that sucked Rose out of the daze she was in. It was Emanuelle. She had picked the test up for Rose. And she was patiently waiting outside the door. 'Rosie,' she whispered. 'Are you alright?'

'Y-you c-can co-come in.'

When the pretty Italian saw her friend, crying and clutching at her hair, she murmured, 'Oh bambi,' and hurried forward to wrap her arms around her friend. Rose settled into Emanuelle's arms and cried heartedly, her head resting on Emanuelle's breast and leaving wet marks from where her tears fell.

'He's g-going to be fu-furious, Emanuelle.' Rose stuttered, looking up with her red eyes and wet eyelashes and quivering lips.

Emanuelle shook her head. 'He can't blame you. You didn't do anything wrong. You just … got knocked up, that's all really.'

Rose laughed a watery chuckle and shook her head, 'You know Sirius, you know he'll find something to be angry with me about. He'll blame my eggs or my uterus, or he'll tell me it's someone else's. I bet you.'

'Then he's not worth being with, if he accuses you of that.' She said. 'Aren't you even just a little bit excited?' her hand fluttered to caress her best friend's stomach. 'To have a baby growing inside you. What d'you want? A boy or girl?'

'A boy. Even if I have a hundred, I only want boys.' Rose answered after a few seconds of calming herself down. She turned to face her friend and said softly, 'I'm really scared Emanuelle.'

'You're allowed to be scared,' her friend replied, 'there's nothing wrong with a little fear.' She kissed Rose's head and held her tighter. 'A little bit of fear can take us a long way, Rose. It just depends how you use it...'

_xo_

The group of four sat around a table right at the back. They waved away the menus and simply ordered some beer and the meals of the day: lamb steak and potatoes. They were all ravenous, not having eating since yesterday night. The waiter smiled at them, winked at Remus who blushed furiously, and finally left.

'Oi,' Sirius said, a smirk on his face, 'stop looking so mysterious and sexy. You're stealing all my lady love.'

They all laughed when Remus simply showed him a finger and ignored the rest of what he said. 'So,' he said, 'I'm gathering that we don't have the horcrux. But we do have a lead, right?'

Sirius nodded. 'Right. I found a letter in Bella's tearoom from Voldemort himself. The cup, I'm guessing it's the Hufflepuff cup, is in her vault, or rather, in the Lestrange family vault. We just need to get into there.'

Lily's pretty emerald eyes widened. 'Because it's so easy to break into a Gringotts vault. Sirius, stop being a fucking idiot. This is going to be hard, really really hard. It's going to be fucking impossible actually! No one has ever broken into Gringotts before, Sirius.'

He leaned forward and placed a finger over her lips. 'Let me explain what I intend to do Lily.' He said. 'James, would you like to tell everyone what number your family vault is.'

'Eight.' He said.

'And the Lestrange one?' the other asked.

James grinned. 'Nine.'

Sirius flourished his hands. 'We're going to get in through James.'

Lily started shaking her head though, 'But James is wanted by Voldemort. Don't you think it's bloody dangerous for us to waltz into Gringotts and for James to ask if he can get access to his vault when Voldemort's out there chasing us.'

The silver eyed Marauder shrugged, 'Look, goblins don't want anything to do with us and our wars. As long as we're using their vaults. In fact, it'd be better if James transferred money into one of the accounts or tipped one of the goblins. Something that would get them to like us. But anyway, once we're at James's vault, we'll imperius or confund the goblin to open the Lestrange one. We'll get the cup, and get the fuck out. It's not that hard Lily.'

The beer and their platters of food came. The waitress was making lovey eyes at Remus, who turned pink and smiled at her before looking away quickly. She was rather pretty: light hair, caramel skin, dark shimmering eyes. After assessing her properly, Remus warmed up to the idea of maybe getting to know this pretty waitress. But dammit, didn't he have a thing going on with Medina? Pretty, gorgeous half Moroccan Medina?

He shook his head and turned to his golden beer, sipping it. The waitress soon left and they each tucked into their food. Lily was past caring about how wild and feral the three men before her looked when they ate. She was used to it; to them eating in such a manner. She was past caring, really. They were soon finished and were polishing off their large beers, ordering another round.

'I don't think you should do it James,' whispered Lily, 'I really don't think you should do it. Get someone else to do it.'

'Who else?' interjected Sirius, a little angrily. He fastened his usually kind grey eyes onto her. 'You know I'd do anything to make sure James stays safe, or that you're happy. But there isn't another … unless…' he trailed off before breaking into a wide, beaming smile.

'What?' they all asked him, wondering what on earth could get Sirius smiling so widely.

He cleared his throat and said slowly, 'Wasn't my Mother with Theodosia today, James?'

James was grinning himself now. 'Yes, I believe she was.'

'I'll get my Mother to do it. She'll get the cup. If it doesn't work Lily, my gorgeous flower, then James'll have to get us in.'

'Quick question,' cut in Remus before draining his second glass of beer, 'how are you going to get your Mother to agree, Sirius?'

This stopped the other man for a second. He contemplated deeply, tapping his chin just like he always did when he was thinking hard. Then he looked at his friend and smiled. 'I'll agree to do what she's wanted me to do for so long. I'll agree to marry Rose.'

This gathered a round of laughter from his three friends. 'What's funny?' he asked.

James ran a hand through his messy hair and said, 'You and Rose? Married? Alright then.'

'What? You don't think we'll be a good couple.'

'I think you'll be a fucking disastrous couple, Padfoot mate.' The hazel eyed one replied, taking his wife's hand and kissing it. 'See, me and Lily are written in the stars. We're meant for each other. You and Taten on the other hand … you might have knocked her up but that doesn't necessarily mean you and her are meant for each other or something. Probably the opposite in fact.'

Sirius shook his head, outlandishly at first but quickly growing sincere by the minute. 'I think me and her kind of suit, in our own way. So we're not romance or whatever but we have pretty awesome sex and we make each other laugh. Besides, just because I tell my Mother I'll marry her doesn't mean I actually will.'

'Well then,' said Remus, 'we should go back to Grimmauld Place. I think the sooner we get this horcrux, the better.'

_xo_

Their rampage, maybe fifteen minutes ago, through Hogsmeade had been more than frightening. People had screamed and cried, some had started running - those were the Mudbloods of course, who were hiding from the government. Voldemort would be sure to get them back later. He commanded the giants, and they followed him and Bellatrix without a doubt or pause; doing everything asked of them.

Buildings and shops were smashed, a few civilians were hurt and maybe even some were killed for all the Dark Lord cared. But now they were at the gates of Hogwarts and they just could not get inside. No giant could force its way through, nor could any spell damage it. Voldemort screamed at his followers to be 'QUIET!' and they were. Almost instantly.

He ran a long, serpentine hand with thin delicate fingers over his hairless, shiny head and turned to the space at his left, where Bellatrix stood. Then he turned to his right and was acquainted with the sight of Malfoy. He smiled softly to himself. He had good followers, strong followers. But the Dark Lord still would have preferred one Sirius Black to ten Bellatrix Lestranges.

Sirius Black. A name he hadn't heard in such a long time, apart from within his own head. He missed Sirius, to a certain degree. But he was not sorry to see the dirty blood traitor dead; not one single bit.

Voldemort knew how to get inside the school, but he always knew he had to wait a bit. Just a little bit longer before it didn't look suspicious at all for the Death Eaters to finally break down the walls.

Just a few more minutes, he told himself.

_xo_

'Sirius,' the first thing Walburga said when her son entered the drawing room. Sitting on Walburga's lap was her grandson. He was biting his fist and looking up at the group which had come in. Lily knew it was foolish to enter the room, so she had hurried up the stairs to where she was sure Rose and Emanuelle would be.

And hopefully her son, she couldn't wait to cuddle and kiss him - Harry was all she thought about these days...

Lily's absence left the three men alone with Mrs Black; and Remus and James would be lying if she said they weren't a little nervous to be around her - she was a scary woman. 'Say, Mother,' said Sirius, 'do you think it would be foolish of James to make an appearance at Gringotts, given his current situation.'

She scoffed and nodded. 'Well of course it would be foolish. Though the goblins may not spread word, a pureblood working there or a person visiting will certainly tell a Death Eater. There's still a prize on James's head, mind you. No, whatever it is you need done, get someone with a clean file to do it.'

'Okay,' replied Sirius, then he smiled tightly and without humour at his Mother. 'Mum, will you please go to Gringotts for us.' As he said this, he took his son from her and kissed SJ on the cheek and the forehead. 'Hey baby-' he began, just as Walburga's frustrated scream cut him off.

'Are you stupid? What on earth do you want me to go to Gringotts for, Sirius? What is it now? Does it have something to do with Theodosia and what happened to her house earlier, Sirius? Because she floo'd me just twenty minutes ago. And she's suspecting that it was "Dumbledore's lot". She means your … your vigilante group. She's furious. She's going to Gringotts tomorrow to put all her family jewels in their vault, she's worried your lot might come back for more-'

'Did you hear that?' James was muttering excitedly to Remus just as Sirius looked at his Mother with wide, excited eyes.

'The Lestrange vault? Number nine, if I'm not mistaken?' When Walburga nodded, he broke into an even wider smile. 'Well Mother, you're in luck. That's the place we need you to go.'

She raised an elegant, dark eyebrow and looked at him before laughing gracefully. 'And what makes you think that I'll do it?'

'I'll marry Rose if you do it. I'll marry her and I'll get her pregnant a few more times.' Despite saying this, he couldn't help but invision a world where he was married to the woman he loved, where they had a few kids and they lived in a nice home. He couldn't help but want such a world. A sentence uttered by his girlfriend from behind him, standing in the doorway however, interrupted what he was thinking and instead brought everything to a stand still. He was sure he would have dropped his son had James not supported the small boy quickly.

Sirius felt his jaw fall open, felt his knees go weak and his eyes bulge dangerously large. No, she_ couldn't_ be serious. She was joking, she had to be...

'You're in luck,' Rose had said softly, 'I'm _pregnant_ Padfoot.'

_xo_

The Hogwarts gates were ripped open with a resonated, ear popping noise. The giants wailed when they found they could run at the gates and tear them with their bodies: the defences were down, the spells were lifted and the charms were off. Everything was going to plan. All Voldemort wanted now was for Dumbledore to come, like the gallant fool he was and duel the Dark Lord. Duel him and lose.

The screams and shouts from inside the castle reached Voldemort even though he was a few hundred metres away. It was chaos and mayhem, especially inside the castle. Severus couldn't think properly: part of him wanted to get as many students out as possible, but another part was afraid of what Voldemort might do if he evacuated all the students.

Though the Dark Lord hadn't specifically said to Severus that he couldn't help anyone, he hadn't said that Severus _could_ help people either. But what would Lily think of him if she found out that he'd let hundreds of children get killed? She'd probably come down to kill Voldemort herself, and then Severus.

McGonagall bustled past Severus, a line of First Year Gryffindors in tow. He touched her arm and she turned around, fixing her cold angry on him. Before she could shout at him the string of swear words dancing on her tongue, Severus said to her, 'Tell all the other teachers to use the secret passage near the Fourth Floor Boys' Toilets. The statue of Urnug the Ungrateful needs to be tapped twice by a wand and then it opens into Aberforth's pub. Use it quick and don't tell anyone I told you.' He hissed.

Without another word, McGonagall's route deviated as she ran from teacher to teacher, gathering with them large crowds of frightened, scared students. It seemed like the only noise in Hogwarts right now was the sound of hearts racing and lungs desperately searching for oxygen.

Within moments, all talking stopped. All breathing stopped. Because the only sounds that could be heard were the furious blows landed on the Entrance Hall doors as the giants attempted to knock them down.

Attempted and succeeded. The doors blew open with an intense breeze touching the faces of all the people standing within vicinity. At the forefront stood Voldemort, but no one expected anything different. As usual, he had that self-satisfied smirk on his face, and Sirius Black's old wand in his hand, having still not found his white yew one.

The Death Eaters piled up behind Voldemort and Severus saw Barty exchange smiles with Bellatrix. It was sickening really.

'Good evening, Hogwarts.' Despite it being evening, the skies were still a light blue outside and the sun was still peeping from the horizon, though it was descending gradually.

However, the light within the castle seemed to extinguish the moment Voldemort had stepped into Hogwarts. The students who still hadn't been rounded off and taken away by the teachers were, thankfully, some of the older students. Unfortunately, many of them appeared not to be pureblooded. These were the half-bloods, or the ones with one or two mudblood parents.

Voldemort didn't have any qualms with harming them: in fact, he hadn't planned on harming a single pureblood. Instead, he had vowed to start with the dirtier ones. 'Bellatrix, Malfoy, Nott, order them into groups of blood status. Barty and Emmett will help you. As for the rest of you, scour the castle and look for any hiding students - at least half of them are missing.'

Severus held his breath. He was going to get it now, he was really going to get it. Unless he was to… to lie to Voldemort, maybe? Because Severus remembered telling his Dark Lord that he and the teachers should offer defences "so as not to cause such an emotional upheaval". But they hadn't talked about transporting the students or anything.

He shook his head. _I'll deal with that problem when it gets here._

'Now,' Voldemort shouted. 'A student will die for each hour Dumbledore leaves me to wait.' He said this more for the benefit of the students and teachers still remaining. The Headmaster's chair, seemingly on its own accord, slid across the length of the hall and stopped right behind Voldemort, who didn't even have to look back reassuringly to check the chair was positioned properly as he sat down.

He tapped his chin with his wand before casting a spell and watching as numbers, formed from fiery ember and ash it would appear, made a clock and started flashing overhead. All eyes were drawn to it, as the large group a few metres from the large Great Hall doors but still in sight, came closer; seemingly undetected. That was until Voldemort _felt_ them when they were inches from the door and broke into a wide smile, beaming at the man leading the group; at Albus Dumbledore.

Though the smile did not leave Tom Riddle's face, he felt his persona change. Immediately, he was more stiff and rigid, his wand arm straightened and his hand clenched his wand tighter. He stood from the seat and bowed mockingly at the old Headmaster.

'Professor,' he said scathingly, 'it's good to see you came. And so quickly too. Not a single student had to die-' despite Voldemort saying his, he pointed his wand at a half-blood girl and watched as she collapsed to the floor, her shrieks echoing through the room for all to hear.

Instantaneously, the members from the Order of the Phoenix charged: charged at Voldemort, at the Death Eaters, at the giants. With a jolt, Voldemort noticed that the Order was bigger than he anticipated. The same size as the Death Eaters he had brought along with him. Moreover, there were others with them. Werewolves who weren't part of the Order, vampires who too, seemed to be guest appearances.

What aggravated Voldemort the most however, was catching sight of Romeo Kelley and a few other Azkaban mudbloods. They weren't the same, they were frailer and smaller but a whole lot angrier.

Bellowing instructions, Voldemort threw spells as hard and as fast as he could before he finally found himself tumbling into a duel with the noble and esteemed Albus Dumbledore. He twirled his wand a little outlandishly and laughed when his spells were met head on by Dumbledore's. The old man seemed to have been revived with a spark that Voldemort hadn't seen before. Maybe it was because he was realising that he was going to lose the war, and he needed to up his game. Or maybe he was just really angry that Voldemort had threatened to harm children.

The real reason for the spark, though, really had nothing to do with the sudden realisation of Tom Riddle's potential win in the war, or the threat of him harming children; in actual fact, Dumbledore felt and seemed different because of Gellert's reappearance in his life.

Their duel was the most dangerous of all, though Fabian and Gideon were certainly second in their duel against Bellatrix and Lucius which seemed to be fuelled by hatred and anger and disgust. Frank and Kingsley were certainly impressive too, with their strong sweeping incantations and their fast reflexes, both having played Quidditch in their Hogwarts time.

Cries echoed through the hall as werewolves and vampires tore at the giants and were torn back at. There were more giants outside which were being taken care of by more vampires and werewolves. It wasn't very hard to kill them, contrary to popular belief: all one had to do was find a means of getting to the brain or the heart, though it was easier getting to the brain.

Also, thanks to the Order, the werewolves and vampires were equipped with knives and bats and swords to penetrate the giants' hearts and brains with. Already, they'd killed a good quarter of the giants and it had only been twenty minutes now.

This seemed like a fight that would go on till the deaths of every person in the hall or an eventual win. The giants and their screams weren't getting any quieter and the warriors battling against each other weren't showing any signs of stopping. Regardless though, Severus desperately wanted the fight to end. If Lily found out that he let the children be harmed or hurt, she would never forgive him. And whenever this was over, whether it was in a month, year or decade, he still wanted to be friends with her.

Isn't that what mattered? Being friends? It sure did matter to him a lot.

Then, Severus noticed Professor Flitwick ushering the students away bit by bit so as not to catch anyone's attention. When their eyes met, black and light blue, he nodded once sharply before looking away and defending himself from the attacks Dumbledore's lot were greeting him with - it was probably another ploy from the old man to reinforce Severus's Death Eater character.

He threw the wizard he was duelling back and turned just in time to see a Mudblood called Romeo Kelley, the one who had started all of this, kill Barty. Yes, _Barty_! Barty Crouch Junior. It wasn't a fast death, by all means. But then again, the Mudblood had conjured a piece of glass and sent it hurtling at the other wizard's chest - it was bound to take a minute or two.

The glass was protruding from Barty's body and was very long; at least ten or eleven inches. Barty tried to wave his wand, tried to cast one more spell, but Kelley kicked it from his hand and watched him die. Bellatrix's shriek echoed through the room when she caught sight of Kelley, thus giving the opportunity to Fabian to disarm her and prepare to stun her.

But she threw one of her knives at him and didn't even watch when it pierced his leg. She was too busy running with another knife, a bigger blade this time, at the Kelley Mudblood. But by then, Dumbledore was already shouting for Kelley to go and he was running as fast as he could, his Order friends supporting him by making sure no spells touched him until he left the hall.

It was surprising, Severus thought, when he looked back and saw that Barty was dead. With his beach blond hair and his open eyes, he didn't seem dead. Just laying down maybe, but definitely not dead. _Ah well_, it's just another surprise. With more vigour and even more care, Severus continued to battle. But he, and he was sure the rest of the Death Eaters would agree, did not feel the same knowing such a powerful and esteemed Death Eater like Barty had just died, so quickly and all thanks to a Mudblood.

It reminded him that Mudbloods, like Lily, had the capability to be just as smart, just as powerful and just as normal as any other witch and wizard. But then he looked at Voldemort and shook his head. As long as he played on that man's team, he couldn't afford to think in such a way. Roaring, Severus threw the person he was duelling back just as another person sprung forward to replace them. And like a conveyer belt, each person Severus defeated was replaced.

And each time, he grew just a little more tired and just a little more weak. And each time, he grew a little more scared and just a little more apprehensive. As time wore on, and the Order did not weaken, and the giants were all dead, Severus felt for the first time - truly truly felt - that they were going to lose. Voldemort would, for once lose. And Voldemort did lose - September the Tenth, 1982; the day Voldemort lost Hogwarts.

* * *

**A/N: **I know, I know, I didn't explain enough at the end but I hope you liked this! It was so much fun to read! And I'll explain the ending in the next chapter in more detail. But yes, surprises! They know where the Hufflepuff cup horcrux is, Rose is pregnant and Crouch is dead. Also, the Order have won Hogwarts. A rather eventful chapter, wouldn't you say ;)

Please review, I know you want to. I've stayed up really late to finish this. Also, I'd like to thank the guest reviewer _Bren _for the kind review: more SJ in the next chapter, I promise.

Enjoy the rest of your day, thanks for reading xxxxx


	12. Catalyst

**A/N: **I'm entering that wretched exam season - so no updates at all for the next month (cries) apart from an already written piece for my friend in dedication of her birthday on saturday - awesomeeee!

I really do hope you like this chapter, it's perhaps the most important one so far! Replies to guest reviews will be at the bottom of this page. I urge anyone who does review as a guest to please leave a name so I can thank you in person.

Without further adieu, chapter 12...

* * *

_xoxo_

_12. Catalyst_

Sirius, as of late, had been surprised more than he was used to being. It was disorientating to be this confused, because right now, he was befuddled far more than he had ever been in his life. He shook as he held his darling son, his beautiful baby boy. He buried his face into the tiny little crook of his son's neck and choked back a sob.

A _baby_? _Another_ baby? How was he going to do it during a time like this? Sirius was already frightened enough about having one kid in a war and now he was terrified. Especially if Voldemort found out, because if Voldemort knew Rose was pregnant with another Sirius Black kid, then he would know Sirius was alive.

Sirius sat in his old room, where there were a few baby pictures of Sirius stuck to the dresser as well as ones scattered all over the room of him and the Marauders. In the pictures of him as a baby, his son looked like a living breathing clone of him. A mirror image.

SJ looked up when his father shifted and reached a hand up, clutching tightly to the black tresses veiling his father's face and tugging gently on it.

'You're gonna have a little brother or sister,' Sirius whispered, kissing his son's forehead. 'How do you feel about that?'

SJ giggled when Sirius's hair tickled him and he batted it away, mumbling unintelligibly, and rather enthusiastically too.

'You're excited too, aren't you?'

His son continued to tug at his hair and mumble, so Sirius saw that as a sign to continue talking. 'I'm scared. I mean, I'm going to love that child with ever fibre of my being. But it's too dangerous, you're in enough danger as it is anyway! So how can I feel anything other than fear at the prospect of having another child?'

'Ro!' SJ interrupted. He was so smart. Already, he was nine months old and could recognise and say his Mother's name. Well, an abbreivation of her name but it was all the same.

'Yes, Rose. Your dear mum. She's gone and gotten herself knocked up again-'

'Gotten myself knocked up?' A quiet and melodic voice said from the doorway; soft and barely even there. Sirius looked up from his son's head at his girlfriend and swallowed harshly. Her gentle laugh filled the room, steadily getting louder. 'Forgive me if I'm wrong but you were the one sticking it in me, and you were the one who insisted on having sex and insisted on using more than one condom which apparently, isn't a good idea in the first place!'

She came over to him cautiously, giving him enough time to move away; flinch; leave... He didn't move away though. And when SJ saw his Mother, he fussed about in Sirius's arms until his father relented and placed the boy safely in Rose's. She cuddled her son and placed a kiss on his cheek, whispering, 'Are you hungry baby?'

SJ was keening now, stretching his arms and wrapping them around his Mother. She held him close with one hand, placing another quick kiss in his hair before conjuring some baby food and a spoon. Immediately, her son opened his mouth when the first spoonful made its way toward him.

After a painful few minutes of silence, spent with Rose feeding her son and Sirius covering his face with his hands, she finally broke it; a tentative whisper escaping her mouth as she said, 'I'm pregnant Sirius.'

He looked up at her and swallowed harshly. 'What are w-we going to do?'

'I don't care what you say,' said Rose fiercely, 'I'm not getting rid of him.'

'Him?' breathed Sirius. 'H-how do you kn-know?'

'I just do...' She stroked her stomach and looked down at it briefly. 'I'm going to have your child Sirius. Aren't you just a bit excited?' She placed a hand on her boyfriend's face and stroked his cheek.

Sirius worried his lip, his eyebrows tightening in concern. 'I am, I am. I'm so scared though too.'

'It's alright to be frightened, there's nothing wrong with a little bit of fear. Fear can take us a long way. It just depends on how we use it.' She said this with a wide smile on her face and blushed before looking down.

Sirius rubbed his temples. 'We're in the middle of a war, Rose. It's dangerous to have another child; one's bad enough. And I'm not gonna be here with you when you have to handle three children alone.'

'Aren't we winning the war Sirius?'

He took her hand and kissed it before shaking his head. 'Right now,' he explained, 'we're not winning, no. Until something turns the tables, we're going to keep losing Rose, love. And you're expected to handle three children alone? Harry, Sirius James and our new born? Because this war isn't going to end any time soon!'

She leaned over and kissed his forehead softly before moving away to appraise him; his eyes, his tense shoulders, his wet lashes, his trembling lip. 'I'll have your Mother and Kreacher to help me. If they'll have me, of course.'

Sirius had been kissing her chin and her jaw when she spoke; quickly, he jerked away and shivered dramatically. 'No children of mine are going to be spending more time than necessary with that foul, dirty creature.'

'I won't let Kreacher near any of them then.' Rose replied, making sure her son was securely on her lap first before wrapping her arms around her boyfriend's shoulders and looking him straight in the eye. She leaned forward and kissed his nose before moving to look at him and work out why he was chuckling under his breath and shaking his head. 'What?' she asked. When he didn't answer, she swatted his head and repeated her question of, 'What?'

He crossed his eyes and stuck his tongue out; 'I meant my Mother,' he chuckled.

Suddenly, they were laughing and sobbing and hyperventilating in Sirius's case, in each other's arms. They exchanged wet kisses, laid their son in an instantly conjured crib and turned back to each other. They kissed some more, touching and adoring one another's bodies. Sirius set his girlfriend down and stripped each piece of clothing off her body, letting her peal his pair of shorts off just as slowly. Before he threw his wand to the floor, he cast several Silencing Charms, thanking god that he remembered this time. He really didn't want his Mother to hear anything that wasn't necessarily ... necessary.

They made love passionately, without any protection of course. Because they were scared and frightened but they were going to make the best out of what they had: each other. Besides, like they were going to trust Muggle protection ever again. Fuck that.

_xo_

Lily walked up the stairs with James and Remus ahead of her. They paused at Sirius's bedroom door, heard nothing but quiet talking and continued up the second flight of stairs, to where they usually stayed. Lily was in shock.

Rose was pregnant again? Sirius was not going to handle that very well. She was surprised that he wasn't bursting into short spurts of fiery magic. He couldn't control his magic as well as others could control it.

She entered the room when Remus stood back for her to enter. He was such a well mannered man. And yet here was her husband, flinging himself on the double bed and definitely not stepping back for his wife to precede him. When she was in arms reach, he dragged her down to lie with him, immediately nuzzling her neck and kissing it. But despite his lack of chivalry and good manners, Lily wouldn't exchange James for anyone. She'd fallen in love with his boisterousness and recklessness.

'I can't believe she's pregnant,' said Lily, despite her desperate urge to pant and writhe beneath her husband's hands. Didn't he see his best werewolf friend sitting in the armchair?

James straightened up, keeping his arms loosely draped around his wife. 'I know, it's like they've never heard of protection. I swear Lils, I'm going to come up with a cheap, easy to make contraception potion. I'll call it the Taten Protection or something catchy like that.'

The door opened with a quiet creak, and in ran Harry, screaming 'Lil' and 'Prog' a few times. Lily held her son tight and cried when he wrapped his arms around her. She hadn't seen him in weeks, and he was so small. She had forgotten how small he was. She kissed him all over his face and held him at arm's length.

'Why is he so skinny James? They're not feeding him properly here, are they? I knew we shouldn't have left him with Sirius's Mother and her estranged elf. I knew it-!'

'Lily, he's fine,' James said, turning to face her and adopting a more serious expression. 'I promise you, they've been feeding him here. And playing with him. He's fine. Besides, Harry's had the time to bond with his little brother, haven't you Harry? I bet you've been teaching him all the right ways of life, isn't that true?'

Harry nodded, his face splitting into a wide smile reminiscent of his Father's, and then sneezed. He really was too cute.

_xo_

The colour that painted the floors and walls of Hogwarts' Great Hall was tonight, a crimson red. The colour of blood, and coincidentally the colour of all things involving and linking with love too. The colour of lips and hearts, of pain and anger. It was the latter emotions that were filling to halls of Hogwarts that night though. Groans, shrieks and cries rippled through the air. Bellatrix was now duelling her way towards Crouch ruthlessly; throwing and killing people left, right and centre.

Voldemort stumbled a little in surprise when he realised it was a Mudblood who had fatally injured Barty. Barty Crouch Jr. died within minutes; slowly and painfully and all because of a Mudblood. A dirty, filthy Mudblood who dared take the life of someone superior and greater than he himself was.

Voldemort vowed to himself that he would track Romeo Kelley down and kill him as painfully as possible for daring to kill a pureblood as prestigious and infamous as Barty. During his distraction, Dumbledore had quickly gained the upper hand.

But the Dark Lord was not one to back down: with a scream and a wide, sweeping gesture of his wand arm, all the lights were extinguished. Not one was lit. The giants roared in fear, not being as quick as humans, thus thinking there was something terribly wrong with themselves and not the surroundings. They blundered around, trampling on a few wayward vampires and werewolves as well as one of the smaller giants collapsing on a group of battling Death Eaters and Order members.

Blindlessly throwing spells, and hoping they hadn't hit any Death Eaters, the power and energy pouring out of Voldemort's wand lit up his face - and he realised, with a jolt that the same thing was happening to Dumbledore.

Their faces looked almost ominous; being the only ones with a constant yet flickering light illuminating their bodies in the whole hall. There wasn't time for silly wand waving and time-wasting incantations: it was a pure, evil, power driven fight between "good" and "evil".

There wasn't really such a thing though. Dumbledore's side was still killing people, Death Eaters yes, but people nonetheless. And that made them as cold-hearted as any pureblood supremacist. The only difference was _what _they were fighting for. Two very different things.

Then it came over Tom Riddle, like a cloud seeping rain, and it drained his body of every emotion but the one it was forcing upon him. It was a foreign feeling: love. Love, confusion and a little bit of happiness. He froze, wand movements stilling and mind freezing as these alien feelings invaded him stronger than ever before.

But from where?

Voldemort had no reason to feel love, or happiness or anything other than hatred in a battle like this. Where could these feelings of commitment and adoration be coming from...

During his contemplation, Albus had somehow managed to disarm him and throw him backwards. The lights flickered back on, and with a staggering shocking gasp, Voldemort looked around and saw that most of the bodies were his Death Eaters; and out of all the dead magical creatures littering the doorway and the Entrance Hall, proportionally, the giants had suffered a greater loss.

There were still some fighting and even a few fleeing. _Fight or flight..._

But Voldemort wasn't stupid. He wasn't going to fight, lose more Death Eaters and more giants if he knew there was a huge possibility that they would lose. Using wandless magic, Voldemort conjured his wand and bellowed at the top of his lungs, 'FALL BACK!'

It was instantaneous; like half of them were just waiting for Voldemort to admit defeat and flee. But he never admitted defeat, and it hurt him to so blatantly acknowledge his loss of Hogwarts to Albus Dumbledore, his longest and perhaps his greatest enemy.

The foreign feelings invaded him again, this time so much stronger and harsher, Voldemort blacked out for a second. His eyes closed, but within seconds, Lucius and Dolohov were grabbing his arms and disapparating with their Dark Lord - leaving death and destruction in their wake.

The giants fled. The other Death Eaters scarpered out of Hogwarts whilst they still had their lives. But most importantly, Albus just waited. He frowned at his dead friends and the dead magical creatures who had been helping them. But a flicker of a smile spread across his face when he realised he had conquered Lord Voldemort. However, despite his triumph, he knew that something had happened to Voldemort.

'Are they all gone sir?' asked Frank, looking up through a curtain of blood stained hair.

Albus nodded, and almost instantaneously, the great hall erupted into shouts of happiness; laughter; _cries_ of relief...

The old Headmaster let them laugh, let them be happy despite the fact that their relief was short lived. Voldemort was going to be back, fiercer and angrier than ever. Albus sent a patronus to his brother and the other Hogsmeade shop owners who were no doubt harbouring some of his students.

'They can come back home. It's safe.'

With a wave of his wand, the phoenix split into several copies and flew out of the hall. When the last one left, Albus clapped his hands and the gates all around Hogwarts, guarding and protecting the school, sealed shut.

_Fight._

_xo_

'You know what to do then Mother?' asked Sirius, holding his son on his shoulders and listening to his giggles.

Walburga nodded quickly. 'Yes,' she said. Then she shook her head. She couldn't believe she was doing this. But he was her last son, and as much as she despised him and as much as he aggravated her and disappointed her, he was _still_ her son and was always going to _be _her son. Besides, she just couldn't let him get caught or be sighted. The whole world thought he was dead. And if that was the only advantage the lighter side had, then she would do anything to help them retain it.

Only because Walburga couldn't stand the thought of her wonderful, beautiful pureblooded grandson growing up in a world where he would be hunted and murdered if found.

She was currently getting dressed by Kreacher, as he slipped elegant shoes on each of her feet and clasped the pearl necklace firmly around her neck. 'You can't make it obvious Mother.' Sirius reminded her, stepping through the doorway and pulling his son off his shoulders, holding his tightly against his chest.

'I won't. It'll be easy to trick Theodosia, she's old and a little senile. Besides, she's never been the smartest Slytherin. She takes several potions a day to keep her mind stable and sated. I've worked it all out Sirius.' Walburga told him, shaking his head and sneering a little at him.

'Well then, what are you procrastinating for?' he almost shouted at her. 'Hurry up. She'll get suspicious if you take too long. You're never late, it's not proper, is it?'

Ignoring him and looking into the mirror, Walburga twirled a curl around her finger and said in a softer voice, 'Hufflepuff's cup?'

'Yes. Please Mother, please do this for me. Properly.' He emphasised the last word, making sure she knew that he wasn't joking. He was serious. She had to do this properly, or she shouldn't bother doing it at all.

Instead of replying however, Walburga just reached out to touch her grandson's cheek briefly before she turned to her fireplace and stepped into it. With a flash of bottle green, the flames engulfed her and she was gone.

Sirius hurried down the stairs to rejoin the others, sitting in the lounge and talking quietly about what they were going to do after Walburga returned with the cup, if she did in fact manage to get it. When he saw Rose patting the seat beside her, he grinned at her and she grinned back. Yes, they were going to have another child. But arguing or panicking wasn't going to do anything. They had to work together and do the best they could to get by.

He threw an arm over her shoulders and bent his head to kiss her on the mouth. 'Are you okay?' he breathed, lips still touching hers.

Rose nodded. 'Just anxious.'

Sirius, kissing her chin and her jaw now, inhaled and said quietly, 'I know the feeling. I'm half scared she's going to completely fuck up and get us caught.'

Crinkling her nose, Rose grinned. 'She probably is going to fuck something up, knowing her.' SJ had somehow managed to get off his daddy's lap, and was now crawling towards the others but his parents hardly noticed. They were too wrapped up in each other.

Sirius pecked her on the mouth, 'I agree,' he replied. 'She always does something wrong. I wouldn't be surprised if she brought back a solid gold plate or something and told us to be done with it.'

'We could always just steal it from your mum if she did bring a solid gold plate back - we could sell it and move abroad. I've always wanted to live somewhere nice and warm.' Rose abandoned the glass of wine Sirius hadn't noticed tucked between her legs, placed it on the floor and wrapped both arms around her boyfriend's neck. They kissed for a few minutes whilst Sirius rubbed her abdomen until of course James's annoyed scoffs interrupted them.

'She's gone then?'

Sirius nodded. 'She should be at Gringotts now with Lestrange. Or almost there anyway...'

And almost there they were. Walburga sat in the lounge, sipping her tea whilst Theodosia gathered the remaining jewels and the sacks of galleons into a magically extendable handbag.

'Are you almost done, darling?' she asked, accepting the napkin from the house elf and wiping the corners of her mouth with it.

'Yes, yes. I just need to find … aha! I've got it Walburga, we can leave now.' She was holding an envelope tightly in her hand and had just retrieved it from the bookcase in the lounge. She tucked it into the many folds of her silk robes and cocked her head to the door. 'Shall we apparate?'

'Yes. I doubt my hair could survive flooing for a second time.' They clasped hands as soon as they were outside the front door of the Lestrange Manor, and apparated directly to the steps of Gringotts bank. It was a magistic, beautifully crafted bank with marble steps and great oak doors. The security wizards standing outside appraised Walburga and Theodosia, seemed to realise who the two elder women were and hurried to pull open the vast doors to the large bank.

Inside was all chandeliers and stone flooring and gold paint. Statues in commemoration of important figures lay haphazardly around the lobby. Rushing around desperately, with sacks of galleons, jewels or scripts of the daily currency rate.

Walburga admired the structure of Gringotts; it resonated aristocracy, power and wealth. She felt at home when she was in Gringotts.

Theodosia walked to the closest free counter and sneered at the goblin. She placed her wand on the desk and then the handbag. With a flick of her wand, all the pieces of jewellery and small sacks of money flew out the bag and settled on the desk. The goblin looked at them and then at the two pureblood women.

'Good afternoon, madams.'

'I would like to check on the current affairs of my vault and place everything here inside it as well.' She said haughtily. The goblin took fifteen minutes at least, inspecting each article, writing it down and waving his wand at it. When he was finished, he placed each and every article back into Theodosia's bag, making sure she could see his actions.

Walburga hadn't meant to look exactly, but she saw, at the forefront of the bag and on the highest peg (yes, the bag was so spacious inside that there were pegs to hang things from) were several different potions in small vials. She grinned internally; things were getting easier and easier by the second.

'Rupan will escort you now. Thank you.' The long-nosed goblin said, and from behind him appeared another goblin with tufts of white hair and wrinkles so deep they looked like they had been carved from knives.

Once seated firmly inside the small cart, Walburga clenched her eyes shut as Rupan lead them further and further into the underground of the bank. It grew colder, and the sounds of roars and bellows echoed louder. It was the dragon. Sirius and Regulus had once almost been killed by the dragon. They had been infants; excited at being able to walk on their own, though it applied more to Regulus than his older brother. They had wandered off when Orion had had his back turned for one second. If not for the observant goblin who had been there at the time, Walburga would have lost her two sons in a heartbeat.

The cart stopped and she clenched her mouth to stop from gagging and vomiting - goblins were magical creatures, surely they knew a way to transport wizards and witches without having to nauseate them so terribly?

She let Theodosia precede her out of etiquette rather than a show of power. The goblin tapped a combination of the door, one that changed every once in a while, and with an almighty groan, the metal doors to the Lestrange Vault opened. Walburga could see her one to the left and the Potter Vault to the right.

Before the goblin had the chance to lead them into the room though, Theodosia shouted, 'Wait!' and the goblin froze. She pulled out the envelope from before, opened it and pulled out a piece of paper that seemed like it'd been read many times from the fold marks etched into the parchment.

She pointed her wand into the room and said in a clear voice, 'Nee ardere, nec geminumque.' A golden glow covered every object in the room. 'Your niece, my daughter-in-law placed some spells on the objects in the room to protect them from thieves. She told me how … sneaky some of the goblins can be,' Theodosia whispered the last sentence into Walburga's ear. 'It's a mouthful though, I always forget what to say when I come here. I've taken all the spells off but be sure to tell me if something burns you or replicates...'

But the other woman was barely listening. Her eyes were fastened on the glistening small cup dangling from the ceiling. She licked her lips and lowered her eyes. Walburga waited until Theodosia signalled for her to enter the vault - it was a pureblood custom; a way to show respect and acknowledgement that in that moment, the power was in the vault bearer's hands.

'I have a rather marvellous collection, don't I?' asked the older woman, fluttering her hands as if to say "Look at what I have! Look how magnificent I am!"

Giggling very quietly, thick with falseness, Walburga edged closer to where the cup hung above her. She looked up at the pretense of admiring the solid gold knight in armour but instead appraised the cup, thoroughly checking that it was the one her son so desperately wanted.

Walburga nodded to herself and then looked at the other woman, who now had her back to Walburga. She pulled out her wand and threw a fleeting glance to where the goblin had been. But with a relieved sigh, she saw that the vault door was shut and the goblin was nowhere to be seen. He was probably waiting outside like the good little half-breed he was.

Walburga sucked in a deep breath and pointed her wand at Theodosia's back. But then the elder woman spoke and she let her wand slide down her sleeve.

'I know why you offered to come with me, Walburga.' Her voice was calm and her back was still to the younger woman.

Blood raced through her veins and she held her breath. _Nononono,_ _Sirius gave me one job! One job! And I've ruined it, haven't I? Oh god! Oh-_

'You want to see whether my collection of artifacts is better than yours, don't you? I've heard how impressive your jewels are and your tiaras are. I don't know why you're intimidated by-'

'_Stupefy_!' thought Walburga, and as a burst of light came out the end of her wand and hit Theodosia in the back, she watched the woman fall and bring a few prized possessions down with her. Not waiting for even a moment, Walburga cried out, 'Wingardium Leviosa!'

The cup gave a little shake and after a few seconds of completely stillness, it started to make its way towards her outstretched hands. The freezing metal met her fingers and she wrenched it from the air, throwing it into her handbag and falling to Theodosia's side just as the goblin entered.

'Is everything alright?' he asked.

Walburga nodded. 'Yes, she just hasn't had her medicines, I don't think. Pass the handbag over there please.'

The goblin didn't seem to notice or care when Walburga's hands shook as she opened the bag and pulled out the array of potions. She placed them on the floor and waved her wand, murmuring, 'Ennervate.'

Theodosia awoke with a gasp, eyes fluttering open and hands clutching desperately on Walburga's hand. 'What happened?' she breathed.

'You fainted dear. I think you've forgotten to take your potions.'

There was a tense moment in which the black haired, grey eyed woman prayed that her ploy would work and Theodosia would believe what she said. It seemed the elder woman did, because she grabbed the potions without another thought and downed them in quick succession of one another.

'Thank you darling,' she said. 'I always forget to take them when I'm out.'

Forcing a smile on her face, Walburga shook her head and said, 'It's no matter my dear friend. Now, let's quickly finish putting all these jewels away and then maybe we can visit that new restaurant _The Squid_. I've been dying to try their lamb, I've heard it's to die for...'

_xo_

It was instantaneous. Rose hurried forward to embrace Sirius's Mother, though it wasn't really returned. James, Remus and Lily started beaming and clapping her. Sirius however, with one arm occupied with holding his son, held the other hand out. 'Come on then, give it here.' He said.

Walburga didn't give him the cup though. Instead, she clutched it tighter. 'You promised Sirius. You promised you'd have more children. You owe me, alright?'

He ran a hand through his hair and sighed exasperatedly. 'Alright, alright. I know. And we will okay! When all this is over, we will settle down and have a proper family. But we can't right now.' He held his hand out again and shook it in his Mother's face. 'Mother, please.'

Rather reluctantly, his Mother placed the cup into his hand. Sirius didn't even wait, he looked at it, felt the familiar burn and threw it at James. It was like it happened in slow motion - like a true chaser, James threw the blade that had been tucked into the waistband of his pants, and watched as the cup and the blade collided mid air.

A piercing shriek resonated through the room, chilling and frightening. They all clamped their hands down on their ears, SJ started crying and Harry ran from the room, no doubt to his best-friend-of-the-day, Kreacher. The shriek didn't die down until the cup had so completely contorted in on itself that it was unrecognisable. Rose ran to Sirius and pulled her child from, kissing her son and holding his tight as she raced out of the room with him, leaving shock in her wake.

Remus was the first one to move; he crossed the room and crouched down, inspecting the Hufflepuff cup from a distance and braving enough to reach out and grab it. It was hot, like it had been left in the gorgeous summer sun for a few hours. The Hufflepuff cup was definitely dead.

'It's gone,' he said, looking up to meet the eyes of James, Lily, Sirius … Mrs Black. She seemed the most confused. Like she wanted to ask exactly what the object in his hands was and the powers it enthralled; but was too scared to leap out of her ignorant bubble and learn a little more about the world and the darkness that purged it.

'What's left?' replied Sirius hoarsely, brushing a stray tear from him eye. He could feel it; feel anger and hatred boiling through his body - and it most certainly was not his emotion. It was Voldemort's. The connection seemed to be returning, thicker than ever. Tentative too, but strong and yielding.

'There's the Ravenclaw diadem, that might already be a horcrux. If we find that one and destroy it, whether it is one or not, then we should have a clear shot at Voldemort,' said James, clenching his wife's hand tightly and looking at her through the corner of his eye.

'Well then,' whispered Sirius, 'we'll go to Hogwarts in the next week. It should be there, shouldn't it? And if it isn't, we can search for it. We've got nothing to lose.'

James nodded. 'We need Peter then. He's with Alice and her son. We'll go to him tomorrow and he'll get us into Hogwarts. You need a Dark Mark don't you?'

'We can't go tomorrow,' said Remus. 'Full moon.'

The other's, apart from Walburga Black, barely batted an eyelash, and Sirius corrected James when he repiled with, 'the day after tomorrow then. Everyone set?' Crying was coming from upstairs and Sirius looked at the door. He turned to his Mother. 'Could you get Kreacher to cook dinner please. I'm starving.' With that, he left the room hastily.

They would go to Peter a few days after the full moon. They would check how he was fairing with Alice, if he was protecting her … if he was even with her. He brushed his hair from his face as he walked to where he knew his son would be, thinking hard about what they were going to do.

So they had destroyed another horcrux, they had suspicions about where the other one was … but what now? What could they do? Waltz into Voldemort's territory - Hogwarts - when there were only four of them, five if Peter tagged along. And then what? They were going to fight potentially a dozen or more Death Eaters to get to the horcrux. And even if it was the last horcrux, they still had to fight and conquer Voldemort, the greatest Dark Lord to have ever lived.

Sirius knocked on his bedroom door and heard a muffled, 'Come in.' He opened the door and with gleaming grey eyes, stared into his girlfriend's pale green ones. She was so beautiful, sometimes he wondered how on _earth_ he had gotten her.

'Yes?' she said. He sat beside her but not before peeping into the cot and seeing his son sitting on his bottom and playing with a teddy bear.

Sirius threw an arm around her and kissed the side of her face, before letting a hand wander to her stomach and settle there, where their baby was growing.

'You were really brave-'

'No I wasn't.' She snapped, looking at him with a calculating, almost angry expression. 'I wasn't brave. I used to be … so brave that is. But I'm not anymore. And I miss it, I miss being courageous and being strong. But I have a son now and I can't afford to be stupidly brash and reckless anymore. Sirius, we're going to have two children together. You need to protect us … you need to protect them.' At this, she pressed his hand harder into her abdomen and cocked her head at where their eldest child was.

'What do you mean?'

Rose flicked her blonde hair back and smiled softly, 'I love you so much. I would do anything for you, just like I know you would do anything for me. But I'm telling you this because it's the truth. Voldemort is getting stronger and stronger, something is going to happen to him that's going to throw him off course but he's going to get stronger Sirius. Until someone kills him. And that someone is you. I'm saying, either you stay here with us completely or you leave and don't come back until he's dead.'

Sirius's eyes widened, and his mouth fell open. 'You're joking-'

'I'm not joking. It's dangerous, each time you come there's a chance that someone could follow you, someone could alert Voldemort … I can't stand it. I'm so happy to see you when you return, but I'm so scared too. Kill him and we can be together properly but don't run back and forth between the pair of us and leave uncertainty in your wake.'

Sirius saw the common sense in what she was saying because he did find it more and more dangerous each time he came back, to leave and return again. But he was scared that he would never see her again.

'What if it takes a year to kill him then?'

'Well, now you have motivation to make sure it doesn't take a year. You don't want to miss the birth of little Regulus, do you?' she reached out to hold his jaw and leaned over to kiss him softly.

'No, of course I don't.' Sirius replied hoarsely, looking at her and shaking his head. Then he let her kiss him again, processing what she was saying.

Of course he didn't want to endanger his son, just as he desperately wanted to keep his family safe until the danger to their safety was well and truly gone. But he couldn't bare the thought of never seeing them again, of not seeing them for a year, or worse - for them to leave this world and him never getting to say good_bye..._

'When do you leave?' Rose asked between kisses as Sirius trailed a line from her lips to her collarbone and back again.

'After the full moon tomorrow, we'll probably have to go somewhere far for the night and then come back to collect Lily and say … say goodbye.' His voice broke and he fiercely grabbed her face, plunging himself into another kiss; more ferocious and demanding than before.

'Alright,' Rose whispered against his lips as they slowly started to undress. They cast a few Silencing Charms, one of SJ's crib and the bedroom door, before they slipped the curtains of the four-poster bed across to cover them. With one final Silencing Charm, Sirius's room was completely silent from eavesdropping ears.

_xo_

The Malfoy Manor was a very sombre, serene place to be. Death Eaters were being tended to, some were grieving the losses of friends, family, loved ones...

However, there were four standing in the dining room - only four. The Dark Lord and his three trusted Death Eaters: Bellatrix Black-Lestrange, Severus Snape and Lucius Abraxas Malfoy. The room was silent whilst the Dark Lord brooded and Bella sobbed quietly into her hand. There were bite marks all over it engraved from her own teeth when she had clenched her teeth around her palm to stop from crying out in grief and pain.

Severus and Lucius stood there, hands clasped together in shock. Barty Crouch was dead; brave, funny, amusing Barty - the one who laughed in the face of danger, who proclaimed and continued to proclaim his devotion to the Dark Lord. Bella's lover and in more ways than one, her best friend.

'We have suffered a great loss today,' said the Dark Lord. 'Though each and every Death Eater killed earlier marks the end of our kindness to Dumbledore and his friends, it doesn't cancel out all they have done for us and our cause.

'However, the biggest loss we have experienced today is no man or human friend of ours. It is Hogwarts, the greatest magical fortress Europe has to offer, sometimes even compared to the runic pyramids in Egypt, and the great battlements in Mali. We need to get is back,' hissed Voldemort, and before they knew it, he turned around from the window he had stood facing, and his wide eyes were gleaming red.

'How do you propose we retrieve it, my Lord?' said Lucius.

Voldemort ignored him though, and was now talking to himself. 'The Daily Prophet tomorrow will talk of Dumbledore as a foolish, dumb man. We will turn him into an enemy, even bigger than before. He will rue the day he dared rise against us.'

'Now,' he said, clapping his hands together and jolting Bellatrix from her heartbroken daze. 'How long do you think it would take to round up all of our friends, even the ones in the process of becoming one of our friends?'

Severus bit his lip and worked it out. That would be at least sixty to seventy Death Eaters, considering a large number had been killed just hours earlier. 'I would say eighteen to twenty four hours at most.' Then he said one more thing, that he knew Voldemort would no doubt ask, 'It will take two days for Dumbledore to remove all the spells we placed upon the castle. I say the sooner we attack the school, the better our chances will be at infiltrating it and regaining what is ours.'

The Dark Lord, with his piercing eyes, turned to face Severus and smiled most malevolently. Then he grinned even wider and said in a soft voice, 'That sounds like a plan.'

* * *

**A/N: **The next chapter is called _Turning Point, _and we finally discover where Sirius's fate and Voldemort's fate lead them. I'd like to say thank you very much if you've stuck with this story this far, I really do hope you're enjoying it right now. And if you're not, tell me what you don't like about this story and I'll try to bear it in my mind whilst I continue writing more chapters.

I'd like to thank **Bren** and **Jess **for leaving really kind reviews; I'm glad you're enjoying the story/SJ so far. **Amelia: **I'm definitely going to keep the black name tradition running to Sirius's children. I'm not a fan of breaking traditions;) Thanks for the review! **Alana: **thank you so much for the kind words, i'm very glad you're enjoying the story so much, it's really the greatest compliment. Thanks! **Guest: **Rose is an attractive character, and as for her personality, she can be likeable, as I've demonstrated in other chapters and this one especially. Thanks for your input though, I know what I need to do with her character now to increase her likeability.

Thanks for the reviews, once again. I really do appreciate it. Please do hit the review button below and tell me what you think of this chapter;P xxxx


	13. Turning Point

**A/N: **I am so sorry for the long wait but this chapter is 9,000 words so I hope that makes up for it! A lot of important stuff happens in this chapter.

Read, review and enjoy.

* * *

_xoxo_

_13. Turning Point_

It was a broken mirror; the cracks were vivid, like ripples on the smooth surface of water. The cup did not look like what it previously had. Sirius lifted it, marvelling at the shape it now was; like a scrunched up ball of paper or something. He threw it from his hand, having only moments ago snatched it from his son.

Rose was currently with Lily and Emanuelle, talking as civilly as she could to the former of the pair. They weren't going to magically become friends, but they had something in common now - the same bone-aching, heart-breaking fear for their sons. A fear that spread and settled in every inch of their bodies and wouldn't leave until their inevitable deaths.

'When are you going to see Peter?' asked Rose softly. 'Tonight or-'

'We can't,' Lily interrupted, 'it's a full moon tonight. We'll go tomorrow.'

'Is that where the others have gone?' she asked, cuddling her son when he made teething grunts and noises. Rose didn't like seeing her son like this; in pain and without the attention he was used to. But she was so worried for her boyfriend - they weren't going to see each other for a while, if ever, and she wasn't sure she could raise another child without the Father there to _help_ her and _be_ with her.

'No, they're choosing somewhere nearby to go to. Besides, dinner hasn't been served and you know those boys can't go without their dinner. They'll be off in an hour or so.' She smiled encouragingly when SJ made a particularly loud whining noise.

Meanwhile, in a room not too far, where James was giggling as he read some of Sirius's old correspondence letters with the Marauders - a bundle tucked neatly in the closest cabinet - and Remus was trying to think of a place in near vicinity, Sirius yawned and said: 'Can you believe she actually said that? Like really really said that?'

'If I'm honest,' said James from where he was lounging, 'I'm not that surprised. I mean come on, she's about to have another baby. A baby. She's not sure if she can deal with that. And it's more chance of them getting caught, her having another baby to care for. She's scared Padfoot. Besides, we're closer to killing Voldemort than we were a month ago. After Hogwarts, we should have all the horcruxes. At least, all the ones we can think of. We'll give it a shot.'

Sirius nodded rapidly. 'I can't believe that it's going to happen. In the next two days, we're going to try and kill Voldemort. I always thought that when he died, it'd be some catastrophic event: people would be flooding from all parts of the world to see his end. But it's not like that. He won't even know what's happening. Half the time, we don't even know what we're doing.'

There was silence, then, 'I'm really nervous.' Remus said suddenly. 'I've used the Wolfsbane potion for the past two transformations, and now I'm without it. He'll be angrier.'

They didn't need to ask who he was: Moony. The mind of the werewolf that was a separate entity to Remus in every way. But the wolf did share a similarity to Remus; they both commanded power and willed fear.

'Well, we've faced angry Moony before. It'll be a walk in the park. Well, no it won't. But we know what to expect.' Despite their reassurances however, Remus's fear didn't grow smaller, but instead grew stronger and larger - their arrogance, for once, was not acceptable in a situation like this.

Moony was going to be angry. _Really angry._

'We should start getting ready,' said James quietly. 'I'll just make sure Lily's prepared everything in the healer's kit.' He spared a glance to his friends before turning and leaving the room.

'How d'you think Peter's holding up?' asked Sirius, meeting the vivid light brown eyes, which glowed gold in the light, of his friend.

Remus shrugged. 'He's been with Alice and a few of the others. They will have taken care of him. I'm sure he's fine.' He twisted his neck into an awkward position to release the crick it was holding, and then moaned low in his throat. It hurt - _everywhere_ hurt. He remembered during their younger days they would all get a little drunk before the full moon just because it helped Remus forget about the pains of transforming. The occasional joint didn't hurt either, in fact despite how hard it was to get in Hogwarts, it did the job better than brandy and whiskey from the kitchens.

Sirius nodded. 'Yeah, he's probably fine.'

In the space of forty five minutes, they were changed, had eaten dinner, had water and food packed, had the healer's kit transfigured fully prepared and were standing before their loved ones, for the last time. They wouldn't see Lily because James had managed to persuade her that for once, she had to stay behind.

It wasn't even about gender segregation anymore, because we _all_ know just how _thoroughly_ Lily hated sexism and anything that painted men as the better, more able, stronger gender. For once, she understood that Rose and her child needed her just as much as Harry did. Besides, Emanuelle was with them. If anything happened, they could defend themselves.

But there was one condition to Lily's quiet submission - she was giving James a week. A week to destroy the last horcrux (hopefully the last anyway) and to also kill Voldemort. Because if they couldn't do it in a week, then they couldn't do it at all.

'A week James,' she said, her hands wound in her husband's bird nest mess of hair and her lips inches from his.

'I know,' he replied, 'one week, seven days, one hundred and sixty eight hours, ten thousand and eighty minutes-' He was cut off when her lips met his in a furious kiss and she murmured, 'Shut it,' to him. His arms came around to cradle her body, hold it close to his, and he was once again, like he so recently had been thinking, overcome with love and care and wonder at how this one person, this woman had been able to get under his skin and turn him from a nonchalant, arrogant boy to a committed father and husband. A man who would _die_ for his family.

When he drew back, placing several soft kisses on her mouth and cheek and forehead, he bent down, glad for an excuse to conceal his heartbroken expression, and wrapped his arms around his son. 'Harry,' he said.

'Progs,' the boy said, for the first time actually pronouncing his father's nickname better than usual. It was almost like he understood the importance of the situation. He was such a smart boy.

'I'll see you soon,' he whispered into his son's ear. 'Take care of mummy for me.'

'Yeah,' the small boy replied, a smile lighting up his face.

On the other side of the room, Sirius was staring at Rose, angrily, scathingly but oh so lovingly. His Mother was not far from him, flinching at every show of affection and Sirius thought it was worth it to be snogging his girlfriend if his Mother kept cringing and glaring like that.

He wasn't going to see her again, if anything happened. James was lucky, his wife wasn't pregnant, she wasn't in as much danger. And Lily could keep her own back, she was amazing at duelling, having beaten each Marauder at least once in a duel.

With his arms draped loosely around her waist, and her body pressed ever so tight to his, Sirius looked down at her and murmured, 'I'll see you soon.' His hand snuck down to massage his girlfriend's stomach and then without warning, he dropped to his knees and pulled her top up, kissing her stomach several times.

His baby was in there, another baby...

She ran her hands through his hair whilst he nuzzled her stomach and then Sirius looked up and grinned mischievously as he flicked his tongue over the soft flesh. 'No manners,' Rose said with a laugh.

Sirius stood up and pressed another kiss to her before he took his son from Remus and bounced SJ in his arms. He simply had to come back, the very reason for his return was in his arms. He had a family. If he wasn't going to kill Voldemort for himself, then it was most definitely for his family.

'I love you Sirius, you better come back soon,' Rose said, joining him and resting her head on his shoulder.

'I love you too. Both of you,' he answered, alternating between kissing his son's face and kissing his girlfriend's lips briefly.

'We need to go now guys,' Remus said as he released Lily from their loving, friendly embrace. After that, it was a series of quick hugs, goodbyes and rushed kisses.

'I love you,' Sirius kept repeating to Rose, kiss after kiss, goodbye after goodbye, he didn't want to let her go. He didn't want to _say goodbye!_

She meant too much to him and yet, here he was with an invisibility cloak covering him as he straddled the broom his Mother had provided for him. And here he was, shooting off into the sky, flanked by the two best friends anyone could ask for.

And here he was, second by second getting further and further from his family. From his wife and his two children He hoped that they would have a second child - he so desperately hoped.

_xo_

There wasn't anyone in the world braver than Peter. After all he had been through, here he was, once again fighting just to make it up to his friends. He knew he had let them down. But he didn't want people to think of him as a let down anymore.

But right now, he had none of that courage. Right now, what was racing through his body was fear and regret. He let out another whine, never having experienced such _painful_ tremors and muscle aches like he was now.

_So this is what Remus goes through,_ he thought before another one racked through his body and he couldn't hold back the scream that pierced the room. A light flickered across his face, the window letting in the silver from the large full moon. When it cast across his face, he couldn't hold in the scream fighting furiously through his body.

Distantly, Peter could hear the sounds of running feet. Then he saw Fabian, throwing the door open, watching Peter convulsing on the bed. Then he was asking, 'WHAT'S WRONG?' and Peter's eyes turned a molten orange.

'Moon,' he managed to pant. From there, it was chaos. The Prewett twins dragged him from his room upstairs, screaming to Alice and Frank, watching as the married couple started shooting spells to open doors. In the garden lay a large shed, large enough to house a werewolf at the very least.

They shot spells, like bullets, at the shed - shields, charms, curses, anything to make sure they kept Peter in there. It felt like he was on fire, but the part that felt quite literally as though someone had poured lava on it was the scar, the large bite mark on his neck. He was moaning and grunting the whole way down there, screaming out when hair, like pin pricks, sprouted all over his skin.

It was everywhere, the pin pricks. As though millions were poking at his soft, malleable skin. Then Fabian buckled under the weight of Peter when the younger man started writhing and shaking as his bones started snapping.

'Help,' cried Fabian to his brother, who had stopped carrying Peter to help Frank and Alice install spells on the shed they planned leaving Peter in for eighteen hours. The rat Animagus was, moment by agonising moment, slipping into the mind of a wolf and from the mind of his true self. Gideon tripped over in his haste to help his brother out and carried the other half of Peter's trembling body once again.

He cried out again when more of his bones broke. _Why was it taking so long?_ He tried to stop focusing on the pain and instead thought of Remus, the best role model in every sense now. How did he remain so calm even in his transformation? So composed and perfect.

Because he was Remus and Peter was … _Peter._ He wasn't special like James, or wild like Sirius or important like Remus. He was the last Marauder, the least significant, the least unique, the least reckless. The least of _everything._

Another scream racked his body and he threw his head back, just as he was pushed, stumbling into the shed. He tried to talk but all that could come out of his mouth were grunts and howls. He lifted a hand up and it was hairy with short, tan coloured fur. Oddly enough, Peter couldn't remember why it was so weird.

His last thought, other than the pain, was how grateful he was of the twins and the Longbottoms, taking care of him. Or, rather, taking care of themselves for him. Then Peter's inner wolf took over and he couldn't remember a single thing apart from one tiny thought.

_Blood._

_xo_

It was a lot more aggressive than they were used to, thanks to the very obvious and apparent lack of the Wolfsbane potion. Moreover, Sirius was so preoccupied with thoughts of his girlfriend, and whether he had told her he loved her enough, and whether the kiss they shared was special and enough to leave a lasting memory.

Because if he never saw her again and someday in the far off future she met another man, settled down with their two children, he still wanted her to remember him, god, to even just _feel_ him in the most intimate moments.

James too was very preoccupied and didn't pay nearly enough attention to the roughhousing pair of canines. _Dogs,_ he thought with a mental laugh.

Moony was vicious, slashing at Padfoot and not caring how much he hurt his friend because for now, they weren't friends. He was furious at the fact that he had been locked up on the full moons too these past few months. And a 'Sorry' for once would not suffice. He wanted to attack Padfoot and Prongs because he couldn't attack Remus and they were the closest thing to Remus.

It was a long full moon though, but as usual, Moony's energy dwindled quickly due to the length of summer nights. Padfoot desperately wanted to transform and become a human again just to heal the copious number of wounds the wolf had inflicted on him. But luckily, Sirius had anticipated, like his friends, such a rabid, feral attack from Moony and had at least expected such wounds. There weren't any broken bones though which was a huge relief.

After an endless number of hours passed, their friend started convulsing as he hit the floor. They looked away and tried not to listen, but unlike their eyes which could easily be diverted, they couldn't block their ears, especially not in their Animagi forms.

When the crying and gut-wrenching moans subsided, and they could only hear the harsh panting and the heavy breathing, they transformed back into their human forms and hurried over to Moony, James setting to work healing his injured friend and Sirius simultaneously dressing Remus.

'God,' the golden haired werewolf breathed, 'have you got-'

Sirius whipped out a bottle of firewhiskey and handed it to his friend without another word, watching as Remus pulled off the lid and took several hearty gulps from it. 'God,' he laughed softly again. 'This hurts so bad.'

'I'm doing the best I can,' murmured James, biting his lip and pulling out the Dittany from the healer's kit again.

'James we can't go to Peter's with him like this, we can't go to Hogwarts with him like this,' Sirius said before yawning long and hard.

'No, I'll be fine,' said Remus when like his long-haired friend, he let out a jaw-breaking yawn, damning the infectiousness of the universal action.

'No, you won't. Turn over...' the bespectacled Marauder trailed off however, when a blinding white light, bursting with vibrancy and beauty, stunned their eyes and stilled their movements. She was a dove and so obviously female, only something delicate and dainty like a woman would have such a beautiful animal for their soul. A dove. The meaning of the word _love._

'I'm s-so sorry but, damn,' Alice's voice rang across the clearing they were in, 'it's Peter, something's wr-wrong with him … he … oh god, he started shaking and crying out in pain and t-then hair sprouted a-across his bo-body and I t-think he's been in-infected. You need to come now.'

Despite the bottle being cushioned by the forest ground, there was a tinkle as the whiskey broke and a crunching noise as Remus jumped up and stood on the broken glass. With the majority of his cuts healed, he looked almost normal.

'We need to go-'

'He might not-'

'SHUT UP JAMES!' cried Remus. There was silence. He rubbed his hand over his face and stood there, trembling for a moment. 'Didn't you hear what she said? He's a werewolf. That's the end of it.'

'I-I thought he wouldn't get infected by Dolohov...' whispered Sirius. He waved his wand and everything shot into James's backpack.

'We need to go. He's going to be in so much pain,' Remus's voice broke on the last three words. 'We need to go now. Get on the brooms.'

When Sirius and James hesitated, the werewolf shouted, 'WE NEED TO GO NOW!'

Both boys suddenly realised very quickly, whilst fumbling with their brooms and shooting after Remus into the sky, why they never got on Remus's bad side. He could be terrifying and simply a look from him, something they had during their time at Hogwarts, dubbed "The Prefect Look", had them running to clean their dormitory or do their homework or shut up during revision time.

They hadn't seen such a look for quite a while and it invigorated their small sense of fear.

For once, James wasn't at the front, leading on a broom and swerving with artistry and skill. Instead, Remus lead them with force and speed and power - they couldn't keep up even if they wanted to, let alone exceed him.

It took over an hour to get to the Longbottom's large house despite the furious speed they flew at. But when they got there, they made themselves known. They slammed down within seconds of each other on the Longbottom lawn and ran to the door, hammering on it and so glad that Frank's sophisticated wards had accepted them as allies, had let them through.

The door was thrown open and they were met with two wands in their faces, their wielders identical in every aspect right down to the determined expressions etched on their faces.

'Fab, Gid,' panted Remus, when after about twenty seconds, they didn't move. 'Where is he?'

'How did Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, James Potter and Peter Pettigrew come to call themselves the Marauders?'

'Are you being serious?' sneered James, 'It's us. We wouldn't have been able to get through-'

'HOW?' cried one of the Prewetts, and his wand started shooting sparks.

'You and your brother were caught sneaking into Filch's office,' Sirius began in a monotonous voice, his body trembling with fear. They got through the wards? Wards that proved their innocence. Which meant that whatever had happened was dangerous, terribly dangerous. He continued talking, 'And you tried to steal the firework collection Filch has been confiscating for years now. But you Gideon set all the fireworks off and Filch, McGonagall, Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey came to get you guys out of the wreckage. The whole school, including us, could hear McGonagall screaming at the top of her lungs "I HAVE NEVER MET SUCH TROUBLED, MARAUDING FOOLS IN MY LIFE!" and it was from then that we called ourselves the Marauders because, as we proved with our Quidditch prank, we were the troubled marauding fools of Hogwarts, not you.'

Gideon and Fabian exchanged glances and lowered their wands, albeit a little reluctantly. They cocked their heads and moved aside to let the group of three in.

'What happened?' Remus said immediately, barging past the others and hurrying to the lounge, where the moans and cries were coming from.

'Fabian found him transforming in the bedroom, we dragged him to the garden whilst Alice and Frank shot spells at the shed to keep it strong, durable and sealed shut when Peter entered it.' Gideon explained slowly, and Sirius was shocked to see tear tracks on his face.

_Had it really been that bad?_

'We had to silence him after he started screaming and howling inside the shed. He was so loud, so-'

'-in pain,' finished Remus, his voice no louder than a whisper. He tentatively pushed open the door to the lounge and peered inside, Sirius and James shortly joining him. Frank and Alice were dashing around, potions, bandages and towels in their hands. In the centre of the room, on the blood stained sofa, was Peter.

They couldn't recognise him. His face was matted with blood, as was his usually blond hair. He was trembling so hard it was almost as if someone was physically shaking him. His eyes were closed shut and a constant stream of cries and whimpers escaped his mouth.

He was in _agony._

His first transformation, what did they expect?

It was Remus who approached Peter first, ignoring the questioning glances from the Longbottoms. He understood best. He knew the pain Peter was going through, despite his first transformation having been over seventeen years ago.

'Wormtail,' he whispered. Only, Peter wasn't really Wormtail anymore. He was still going to retain his Animagus powers, he'd still be one. But his patronus wouldn't be a rat anymore.

Azure eyes, swimming with clear tears, opened ever so slowly. Wormtail let out another moan and more tears fell, leaving a trail of skin as they washed away some of the blood from his cheeks. 'Moo'y,' he panted and then when Frank poured a bubbling green potion down his throat, he started gagging and moaning again.

'Shh,' said Remus, eyes watering. 'It'll be alright.' He took his friend's hand and held it tight, his other hand smoothing the blood-matted hair. 'We're here.'

Sirius and James came into Peter's view and he tried to greet them, but stopped trying when Alice approached him with another potion for him to drink. The potion gave off the strong stench of lacewings. 'Is that a Sleeping Draught?' asked Sirius, smelling the air and frowning.

The question was answered when Peter's blood-soaked face relaxed and he fell into a deep slumber.

'I'm way out of my head Remus, I don't know what to do. He's so cut up, he's broken over ten bones in his body, he punctured his lung and it's healed but I don't know for how long,' Alice cried, her eyes rimmed red and her throat clogged with barely restrained sobs.

'I'll take care of it.' He murmured in a deep, low voice.

'How?'

'I'll take care of it!' He shouted. Remus sat down beside Peter, having stood up to get a bowl of water and a cloth, and picked up his friend's hand again, holding it tight between his own. They didn't understand or even comprehend what Peter was going through right now. It was a miracle no one had been harmed or infected, thanks to the bravery shown by Frank, Alice, Fabian and Gideon. But sometimes, bravery wasn't enough. Sometimes, the ability to understand and be understood meant so much more.

'You should go without us.' Remus whispered, keeping his eyes glued to his friend. 'They don't know how to take care of Peter and … and I'm the only one who knows what he's going through right now. Leave without us.'

'We can't do this alone Remus.' James said.

'You won't be alone. You're forgetting that in Hogwarts is Dumbledore, McGonagall, Hagrid and all the other people who support us.' The werewolf answered.

Sirius shook his head vehemently, 'No, we need you-'

'Peter needs me, Padfoot. You guys just want me to make sure you er … stay out of trouble. You have each other, you'll be fine. I'll come as soon as he's better but right now...'

'Right now, he needs you.' Frank finished for him. He then looked at the group of three standing before him and spared a glance to the man on the sofa. 'I'll help you Remus, whatever you need.'

The other man spared a nod to his older friend in gratitude, too tired, too drained of energy to do anything but nod.

'Moony,' Sirius began in a deep and commanding voice but he was cut off by his best friend slash brother who instead said, 'Alright Moony, whatever you think is best.'

A piece of parchment was stuffed into Remus's hands, old, worn and very special to the Marauders. It was their map.

'We'll have the cloak so you take the map,' James explained. 'You know what we're going to be looking for first. We'll send you a patronus if we leave Hogwarts to look for Voldemort. But you need to promise Moony that as soon as Peter's better, you'll come straight to us.'

'Would I ever do anything else?' he replied, half scathing but also full of care for his friends. He embraced Sirius first, murmuring into his ear, 'Take care of yourself Padfoot. I don't want to have to hear from someone else how you died tragically.'

'I will Moons.'

James and Remus embraced shortly after, then quick handshakes and hugs were exchanged with the Longbottoms and the twins who had been standing at the door.

And when it was time to leave, they took their broomsticks and mounted them at the door, sparing a last glance at the Longbottom's residence before spiraling off into the sky, not at all slow but not necessarily fast either.

They had time ... didn't they?

_xo_

It was a hassle to be without their Apparation Licenses - how easy it would be for them to close their eyes, think of a place and be there in the space of a second or two. Instead, it took most of the day to get to Hogwarts.

The Knight Bus was a big no, as was any means of magic transport really. They took a train to Melrose and from there, rode their brooms in the sweltering heat. Luckily, due to them flying so high to keep out of the public eye, the skies kept them cool and refreshed even.

They stopped in Edinburgh to send a patronus to Remus, telling him where they were. It was there that they changed their appearances, stopping in a cinema and entering the toilets together.

'We look kind of gay don't we,' murmured James, squeezing in a cubicle after Sirius and laughing when they could barely fit.

'No one saw,' answered Sirius, tucking his hair behind his ear and watching his friend carefully. 'Alright, you do me first.'

James broke out into giggles and Sirius couldn't help but laugh with him, the stall trembling with their laughter. 'Alright, I'll do you first.'

It took at least twenty minutes for both of them. They altered everything; their hair, their skin complexions, their height and weight - everything. Sirius self-consciously ran a hand through his short, spiky blond hair and flinched.

'Let's go,' said James softly. He wasn't wearing glasses, and his nose was shorter. His cheekbones didn't stand out so much and his ginger hair contrasted heavily with his tanned complexion.

There wasn't a person in sight and they were grateful for it. Billboards and posters littered the walls of the cinema, actors and their gleaming faces stood out vividly, Sirius was bombarded with images and titles of different movies. He remembered going to the cinema many times with the Marauders and later, with his girlfriend Rose.

Maybe when this was all over, he could go to the cinema again with Rose and with the Marauders and Lily and everyone. Maybe after the whole war was over things could go back to normal?

But then Sirius looked down at the writhing dirty white mark on his already pale skin and he knew nothing would be normal. He traced the thick ragged scar that James had inflicted on him and he cringed. He knew that for a million years, whether he died today, tomorrow or in a century, he would never forget what Voldemort had done to him. The pain, the torture … the fear he had invigorated in Sirius like never before.

In fact, Voldemort was continuing to do it to him, making him feel pain and fear. Sirius was trembling. Nervous didn't even begin to describe what he felt, how he felt. As he straddled his broom and shot off after James, he couldn't help but wish that the journey to Hogwarts didn't speed by and instead took its time, loped towards them rather than sprinting faster than lightning. But like most unfortunate things, it felt like Sirius closed his eyes for just a moment and opened them again only to find himself in Hogsmeade.

Near Hogwarts.

Near the _horcrux_, he hoped.

_xo_

Severus liked to think of himself as a good Headmaster as well as a bad person with good intentions. Because he wasn't going to lie to himself, if it wasn't for a certain redhead, he would be just like Dolohov, Avery and the rest of the Death Eaters.

He wanted to take care of the students in his school, whether they did good in the future or they committed wrong. Because whilst they remained under Dumbledore and some of the Order members right now, it was his school. Or at least, he had come to think of it as such.

But each spell that was removed put him and the Death Eaters and most importantly, his Lord, a step further back. They had to launch an attack now. There weren't any students under the age of seventeen at the school. There had to be what, fifty people at Hogwarts, right? And with the sixty seven that had been rounded up, Severus knew they would most probably win in the fight over Hogwarts.

It was a beautiful school, with history and magic and greatness etched into every nook and cranny. Maybe that was why the Dark Lord was so desperate to get his hands on the school. Because he thought it would make him greater.

Standing at the front with Bellatrix, Malfoy, Dolohov and the Dark Lord leading them, the Death Eaters followed without a word. He could have been leading them to their deaths and they still would have trailed behind him blindly, like puppies and without a single complaint.

The loyalty made Severus somewhat nauseous. They were barely a few hours away from purging Hogwarts and showing Dumbledore some of their power. Demonstrating to the old Headmaster of Hogwarts just how pissed off they _were._

'Shhh,' rang across the large open space they were in. The Malfoy Manor garden, as it so happened. It was the only place large enough to house the ten giants they had. 'Silence.' A cold, chilling voice whispered. Yet, somehow, that whisper carried across to the sixty seven Death Eaters.

'Today,' said the Dark Lord as he turned around to face his followers, his giants, his army, 'is the day that Albus Dumbledore _dies._ Today is the day that we destroy each and every member of the Order of the Phoenix and today is the day that we make ourselves known to the whole world. We are not a force to be played with. We are strong and we are going to win this fight.'

There were shouts, screams, hasty agreements and an applause. They all nodded, but perhaps Snape's nod was the most reluctant, the slowest, the shortest. He didn't know why but he had a bad feeling about this. A_ very_ bad feeling.

'We defeated Sirius Black, we defeated Bodewell and the rest of the Ministry and now we will defeat the last man standing in _our_ way of victory - Albus Dumbledore.' His face changed from one of determination to one of pure anger. 'I refuse to let that … that _Muggle-loving fool_ win any longer. Today, we fight for everything we believe in.'

There were cries and declarations screamed as the Dark Lord paused. A sly smile flickered across his face before he composed it. 'We will win.'

'LONG LIVE THE DARK LORD!' cried Bellatrix, and instantly, the rest copied her, including Severus. He remembered when there was a time and he so passionately believed in everything Voldemort said; every ideal and belief the man had. All the ways in which he tried and mostly achieved his beliefs. But when Lily Evans was put in danger (she would always be Evans to him), he didn't care about anything other than her and her life. She was all that mattered to him, not Voldemort.

Severus closed his eyes and tuned back in to what his Dark Lord was saying. He had been bidding his time, doing what was asked of him, being the best ruddy Death Eater for the Dark Lord but he was waiting until he could turn against his own side and protect everything Lily Evans stood up for.

He loved her, still. After all this time, he loved her _so much._

So damn much it hurt.

_xo_

Sirius had transformed into Padfoot to make things easier and less obvious when he and James walked through the streets of Hogsmeade. People looked at them less when it was one young man instead of two. It all seemed very different. The shops were less vibrant, the people of the streets rarely smiled and even though the skies ahead were golden with the sun's beams, grey seemed to be the only colour James and Sirius could see. Well, before Sirius transformed into Padfoot of course.

He followed after James very carefully, sticking to his "owner's" side and demonstrating to anyone who so much as looked at them that he was James's. No one cared though, they had too much on their minds. Something, it was seem, had happened. Something big...

It was James who saw first. He almost stepped on Sirius's paw in a haste to get to the newsstand. He grabbed it and read the large, flashing headline.

_'HOGWARTS STOLEN BY DUMBLEDORE AND CO'_ it read. The article was laced with bias and obvious lies, but the message remained the same. Dumbledore and the Order had taken Hogwarts from Voldemort.

They had _stolen_ it. Stolen something that no one believed to be steal-able. James wanted to sing, to dance, to scream at the top of his lungs. They could do it now! They'd be able to get into Hogwarts, find the horcrux and destroy the damn thing! He and Sirius wouldn't have to be extra careful now. It was vacated of students, save a few willing Seventh Years which meant everyone in the castle was on the same side, his side.

James pocketed the paper and flung a galleon at the newsstand owner who looked at the gold coin, broke into a wide grin and thanked James profusely.

Padfoot barked furiously several times before James managed to sneak them into Honeydukes. The owner wasn't watching, and it was a matter of throwing the invisibility cloak over the both of them without a single soul noticing. Then it was a matter of sneaking into the basement and not being obvious about it, which was, of course, not easy at all.

As soon as the cloak was thrown off them so James could find the loose floorboard, Sirius snatched the paper out of his friend's hand and scanned it.

'He's not there?' Sirius whispered. 'None of them are there?'

'Only Dumbledore and the Order,' breathed James, eyes flicking to the basement door every few seconds. He used his long nails to pry the floorboard loose and then jumped down into the tunnel. The backpack and invisibility cloak followed shortly after before Sirius jumped down and summoned the floorboard back in place.

'James, we can do this. He's not here! Dumbledore is! We can do this, I swear, we can find it and destroy it and get Voldemort.'

The bespectacled Marauder nodded several times. 'I know Padfoot, but I think we should look for the horcrux first before we disturb Dumbledore.'

Whilst they spoke to each other, not bothering to keep their voices down, they walked as fast as they could in the shadow-ridden, dim tunnel before James cast a Lumos and the tunnel was filled with light.

'We're going to the Room of Requirement first then, yes?' panted Sirius.

He didn't need to see James's nod to know his friend agreed. It took, ten, fifteen, almost twenty minutes before they at last reached the end of the tunnel. It was a tight squeeze under the invisibility cloak, and Sirius was ashamed to acknowledge that parts of his body were pressing into parts of James's body and it was totally inappropriate but just a little funny.

'Stop huffing down my shirt Padfoot,' hissed James. Soon, it was time to push past the statue that guarded the entrance and then they were in-

'Hogwarts,' murmured Sirius, 'I never thought I'd see this place again.' He looked around the wide, long corridor and eyed each obstacle in their way.

'Alright, come on,' James said, tugging on the cloak and leading Sirius to the closest staircase. They knew their way around Hogwarts instinctively, they knew each corner, each corridor, room, hall of the school and they were proud of themselves for it.

Hogwarts was a home to each of them in so many different ways: it was a place where James had escaped the suffocation he'd endured from his parents and their loving ways, where Sirius could run away from all the expectations his parents had placed on him, a refuge for Peter from his drunken, tempestuous Father and a place where no one knew about Remus; where he had built himself a new identity, something that didn't begin with 'were' and end with 'wolf'.

They encountered a few ghosts along the way, and saw more than once a few Seventh Years walking down the corridors, lugging books and potions and other things to give to Dumbledore. Everywhere they turned, they heard the name Dumbledore.

A name that was too great for any one _man._

When they arrived to where the Room of Requirement was, they threw off the cloak and paused. 'What if it's not here Padfoot?'

'Then we try the Slytherin common room and we try the Black Lake and all the other places Voldemort could have hidden it. But he's got to have hidden one here Prongs, it's the only place he felt was a real home for him.' Sirius explained. 'He loved Hogwarts.'

He started pacing, running a hand through his short spiky blond hair and finding that it wasn't spiky anymore, nor was it short. His features were returning to their natural state. Panic coursed through his body. No, he still had time. Maybe fifteen or twenty minutes before he was Sirius again. He looked at James and was met with hazel eyes, not of the chocolate hue they had been minutes before.

'We're returning to ourselves aren't we?' Sirius said. 'No matter, we still have time. Now, what type of room should we wish for?'

'The room where Voldemort hides things?' laughed James.

The long-haired Marauder shook his head, half a smile on his face. 'Somehow, I don't think that'll suffice. What about a room where dark artefacts have been hidden?'

James clapped his hands together and said to Sirius, 'Perfect.' Then he paced in front of the black expanse of wall, chanting repeatedly in his head, _I need the room where dark artefacts have been hidden, I need the room where..._

A door, not large but not small either, appeared. And when James opened the door, he saw many things. More than he had anticipated. There were knives, glistening like diamonds in the candlelight, hung up on the walls. There were potions of ominous colours and with evil-sounding names, radiating cruelty.

Sirius couldn't help but look at the potions, curiosity taking over. There were potions that removed souls, potions that killed, some that paralysed and some that destroyed the human conscience.

He couldn't help but shiver, imagining what else the potions could do.

'Padfoot,' James called, his voice distant.

'Hmm,' murmured Sirius distractedly.

'Slytherin had a locket right? And Gryffindor had the sword and Hufflepuff had her cup, yeah? But what was it that Ravenclaw had?'

Sirius fingered the bottle of the potion that made your organs fail and said at the same time, 'She had a crown or tiara of some sorts. Why?'

'I think I've found it.'

Sirius dropped the bottle, a dark grey, murky sort of liquid pouring out and covering the floor. He jumped away from it and all but leapt over some of the boxes and craters to make his way to James.

There was a bust but Sirius paid no attention to it. The thing that captured his attention, his heart, the object that dared him to hope was none other than Rowena Ravenclaw's diadem nestled comfortably on the bust's head.

His body trembled; they found it, this was the horcrux, _this was it!_ His Dark Mark burned and courage filled Sirius's body. He swallowed hard and reached out with shaking fingers to touch the diadem. A sharp pain filled his body for barely a second before he snatched the diadem and stared at it.

'We've got it Prongs,' he breathed. 'You found it. Merlin, we've got it.' A minute passed where he thoroughly inspected it, ran his fingers over every inch of it. Then Sirius held his hand out and clicked his fingers. 'The dagger, Prongs.'

Wordlessly, James placed the long, silver dagger into Sirius's hand and stepped back. The room was silent, save the ticking that had been going off since they entered the spacious room.

'It could all be over,' Sirius whispered. 'If I destroy this and we're right, this is the last one, then we've won. We've done it James.' He swept his arm along the table and flung everything off the surface, including the bust, which as they expected, shattered. He wiped his nose on his hand and then placed the diadem on the table, right in the centre.

But it obviously was not going to be as easy as all the other horcruxes. They were thrown back, colliding with dark, enigmatic objects and yet they didn't do anything about it. They were too busy watching the figure that had risen from the diadem.

_Rose._

She looked stunning. Her hair was long again and golden, her skin tanned and gloriously dark, her eyes were gemstones in her beautiful face. She bit down on her vibrant, red lips with pearly teeth and stared at them both.

'You've always been jealous James,' she whispered, 'even though you've got Lily and Harry, you've always wondered what life might be like if you were twenty one and not married, if you weren't tied down to Lily and your son. If you were with someone more free and liberating … someone like me.'

Her voice was seductive, sultry and low. 'You've envied Sirius and the relationship he and I share. But it's all your fault James, you were the one who let me go.'

Her light green eyes, so striking in comparison to her sun-kissed skin, flickered to Sirius. Her boyfriend, her lover, the Father of her children. The man she owed everything to and the man who owed her all the same.

'But you Sirius,' she breathed, nearing them. With a jolt, Sirius noticed that she was naked. How had he _not_ noticed before? But the mist that had formed around her with each word seemed to flow just perfectly to cover her most intimate parts.

She started talking again in that soft purr and Sirius's eyes snapped up to meet hers. 'You, my darling, are the worst of all three of us. You pretend to care about me, you pretend that each time I feel pain, you're hurt too when you are the very reason I cry and stutter and _want to die._ What's more is that you pretend that each time you see me with James or Remus, it's okay for me to talk to them when really, you can't help but think that I could be cheating on you with one of them.'

Sirius wiped his eyes furiously, wanting to scream at her, to say that it wasn't true. That he loved her! _Oh, god, he loved her so much!_

But she continued talking, taunting him. A cold smile covered her face. She was enjoying this. 'I'm only with you because you are the Father of my two bastard children. I would still be running after James and I would still cheat on you if it weren't for our two children-'

With a roar, Sirius plunged the blade into the hard, strong diadem and watched as Rose disappeared in a cloud of thick smoke, the last thing to glimmer in the soft candlelight being her beautiful golden hair. There was a calm quiet now, filled only with the sounds of their shallow breathing and that godforsaken ticking.

'You know she would never-' James began hesitantly but Sirius stopped him, drawing his friend into a rough embrace before picking up the dagger from the ground. He was glad his face was covered. His eyes were still watery. It was like the diadem knew his every fear, each insecurity he was saddled with and he hated it.

'I know Prongs.' Sirius breathed.

'What do we do now?' James asked, leading the way through the wreckage of where they had landed and the craters of dark objects.

Sirius opened the door and stepped through, looking left and right, satisfied with the empty hallway and stepping out. He turned to face his best friend. 'We look for Voldemort-'

Sirius was cut off when a series of shuddering cries interrupted him and what he was saying. They were loud bellows, the sort that meant giants were here.

Here.

At Hogwarts. _Giants._

They were here! More bellows and cries radiated across the hall, and Sirius felt the ground and walls of the corridor tremble. He looked at James, seeing his shock and fear mirrored in his best friend's face.

'Padfoot, if those are giants then that means Voldemort is here.'

'I know. What d'you say we go down to meet him, or should we stay up here and plan first?'

Despite Sirius's cool exterior, inside he was trembling. Inside, he was begging God and Merlin and all the other authorative figures out there to just give him a damn moment to compose himself.

_Just a minute or two._

_xo_

Tom Riddle watched as the giants purged forward first, their great bats swinging at their sides, their heads thrown back as they roared at the skies, their enormous legs thudding with each step.

They looked so powerful, they were everything the Dark Lord saw in himself and more. Yet, here he was, commanding such ungovernable forces. With an army of almost seventy wizards and witches behind him, and ten giants leading the way and batting aside the large gates of Hogwarts, Voldemort had never been more content and confident in his life.

He was so close to achieving his goal. Dumbledore was in the castle and Tom Riddle planned on Dumbledore never leaving the castle again, unless it was in a coffin of course. He would kill the man and he wouldn't rest until it was done. And with Dumbledore's downfall would come about the end of the Order of the Phoenix and all those witches and wizards who were still fighting and defying the Dark Lord.

Running out of the Great Hall, in groups, were the Order of the Phoenix. There were more of them than Voldemort had anticipated but he knew that his Death Eaters would win. They were stronger this time, better, and they still outnumbered the Order and their leader.

Dumbledore was hard to spot at first, despite his distinctive face and frame, but he was there, with his long indigo robes and his long white beard. Voldemort and his Death Eaters didn't wait, they pounced. Werewolves and vampires pounced too.

It was a war at its fullest.

Spells cackled in the air, series of blues and greens and reds were thrown across the front of the school, the bit of greenery between the large gates and the front doors of the Great Hall, hidden behind the Entrance Hall.

Voldemort looked to his left, where Lucius Malfoy was battling McGonagall and barely managing to gain the upper hand. But she was old. Despite her spells holding power and radiating strength, she was old and therefore not as fast as Malfoy.

Bellatrix was battling two Seventh Years at once and seemed to be restraining herself; they couldn't beat her even if they tried.

Fixing his eyes ahead and tossing back the spells that snaked their way towards him, Tom Riddle watched with hawk eyes, the nearing figure of Dumbledore. Their eyes met, a collision of red and piercing blue, before they cried spells at the same time. Green and blue crashed mightily and their fight began.

Voldemort had a feeling he would win. He just knew it. But then again he always thought he could win.

_xo_

'Sirius,' cried James. 'What are we going to do? Look at them, fighting him and his followers. We can't just sit here and-'

'I'm thinking James, give me a moment!' Sirius shouted back. His shoulders slumped. He couldn't die and that was fine with him. But what if Voldemort couldn't die too? What if this was all for nothing and he still had another horcrux to find. What if there were two more, three, five? What would he do then? Spend the rest of his life fighting Voldemort?

Because Sirius had another baby on the way and he didn't want Rose to give birth when Voldemort was still alive. He couldn't _bare it._ She wouldn't be able to bare it too.

'Look how hard we've worked Padfoot, no … let me finish … we've worked so hard to bring you to here. We've done all we can Sirius. And now, now you have a chance to _finish him!_ You're so close Pads.' He clasped Sirius's shoulder and shook him. 'We're so close.'

Sirius gritted his teeth and looked up at James. 'What if I _can't_ Prongs?' his voice broke. 'What if he's got more?'

'Then we keep on looking for them and we keep on fighting because we both have families and too much to lose.' James's voice was strong, passionate and yet it trembled ever so slightly. He was just as scared as Sirius. 'I'll be there the whole time Padfoot. I'll take care of you.'

'Right,' said Sirius. He straightened up and held his wand tighter. 'You'll be there the whole time?'

'Every second of the way Padfoot.'

'Thank you Prongs.' Sirius whispered. Then he started to walk. Not run, not lope or amble. He walked because that was what men did when they were at war. They didn't put up fronts and fake personalities. They were totally honest because the worst way to die was when you weren't honest with yourself. If Sirius was going to be harmed, or if he did somehow manage to die, he wanted to die proudly and honestly.

James stood beside him and for the first time in a while, they weren't the fearless, brave boys that everyone knew them as. They were scared and frightened but they knew that they had a job to do.

Sirius didn't care when the ghosts saw him and they started gasping in shock, he didn't care when he stepped outside and people began to recognise him.

The only thing he paid his attention to was the man duelling Dumbledore, the man that hadn't seen him yet. The man with the shockingly pale skin and the ruby red eyes.

Lord Voldemort.

Sirius heard his name being chanted around him, he flicked a shield the same time James did and watched as spells were rebound from the shield. Many stopped battling, too busy watching with increasing avid attention, the scene that was sure to unfold.

He knew when the other man had seen him because the whole battle field went silent. Moments from their potential deaths and the Death Eaters and Order members still had the time and confidence to watch what was going to happen.

Sirius shivered as he felt those vibrant red eyes on him. He heard the gentle whisper as he stood beside Dumbledore of 'Impossible' and the soft thud as Voldemort's wand fell from his hand onto the floor.

'Did you miss me?' he whispered.

* * *

**A/N: **It's easier than ever to review now, please leave a few words about what you think. Thanks to everyone who left a review on the last chapter!

**Gem: **I agree, it wouldn't be fair for Sirius to miss anymore time with his son, but since when have things ever been fair for him lol. Thanks for the review! I hope you like this chapter. **Bree: **You're welcome. I hope this chapter was good. **Jade: **Finally, someone who acknowledges Walburga as anything but a bitch haha. Thank you very much, I think she's an important character and there's more to her than the whole "blood purity" thing and you're right, she does care a lot about SJ. **Persephone: **Firstly, I love your name. Second, I wish I could promise you that but things never really go Sirius's way. He usually faces things in the worst way possible. I can guarantee though that he doesn't miss his second child's birth but shhh, it's a secret! Thanks for the review! **Maya: **Your name is really important in this story but I'm sorry to tell you that you won't know why for a very long time - till the last chapter of this story really haha. Read this chapter and find out if they do cross paths, thanks for the review. **Guest: **Good suggestion, I'll keep it in mind :D

Thanks again for all the lovely reviews, please do leave one on this chapter!


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